KURDISTAN

Kurdistan,Persian meaning"the land of Kurds",was first coined in 1150 by the Seljuk Sultan Sanjar for designating a portion of Western Iran.Contemporary use of Kurdistan refers to parts of eastern Turkey (Turkish Kurdistan), northern Iraq (Iraqi Kurdistan), northwestern Iran (Iranian Kurdistan) and northern Syria inhabited mainly by Kurds, with connotations of the older toponyms Curdia and the ancient CordueneKurdistan roughly encompasses the northwestern Zagros and the eastern Taurus mountain ranges, extending there from to small portions of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Iraqi Kurdistan has gained official recognition internationally as an autonomous federal entity.There is a province by the name of Kurdistan in Iran, where Kurds are officially recognized as a minority.