muḥāfaẓah (governorate), in northeastern Iraq, created from the northern part of Kirkūk muḥāfaẓah. It encompasses the eastern part of the alluvial plain of the Tigris River and the foothills of the Zagros Mountains. Its economy is based on petroleum and dry-farm agriculture, which produces wheat, barley, and fruits; sheep are grazed. Its capital, Kirkūk, is one of the largest oil-producing centres in Iraq and has oil pipelines that connect it with Tripoli (Lebanon) and with Yumurtalik on the Turkish Mediterranean. Area 3,737 square miles (9,679 square km). Pop. (2004 est.) 854,470.