Diyala Governorate

Diyala Governorate (Arabic: محافظة ديالى Muḥāfaẓat Diyālā) or Diyala Province is a governorate in northeastern Iraq.

Diyala Governorate extends to the northeast of Baghdad as far as the Iranian border. Its capital is Baqubah. It covers an area of 17,685 square kilometres (6,828 sq mi).

A large portion of the province is drained by the Diyala River, a major tributary of the Tigris. Because of its proximity to two major sources of water, Diyala's main industry is agriculture, primarily dates grown in large groves. The province also contains one of the largest olive groves in the Middle East. It is also recognized as the orange capital of the Middle East. The Hamrin Mountains pass through the governorate.

The governorate is home to a diverse population of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, though the clear majority are Sunni Arabs, constituting around 60% of the provinces population. According to the latest statistics, the number of inhabitants is approximately 1.6 million.

Diyala is home to Diyala SC that plays in Iraq Stars League, the highest division of the Iraqi football league system, following promotion from Iraqi Premier Division League in 2024. The club is based in Baqubah and Ba'quba Stadium is its home stadium.

Diyala Governorate comprises seven districts, listed below with their areas and populations as estimated in 2018:

The Diyala Province boasts the Diyala Media Center which has one of the Middle East's tallest radio and television antennas at 349 metres (1,047 ft). The Diyala Media Center was built under contract by a Japanese architectural firm in 1989. It is one of Iraq's few independent radio and television stations that offer local television and radio news coverage as well as rebroadcasting state-run television.

There is evidence that Al-Qaeda in Iraq moved its base of operations from Anbar province to Diyala in 2006 and during late 2006, Baqubah and majority of the Diyala province were reported to have come under Sunni insurgent control. This insurgent control is reported to have continued through 2007 and into early 2008.