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Kirkuk[kirkOOk´] Pronunciation Key, city (1987 pop. 418,624), NE Iraq. It is the center of Iraq's oil industry and is connected by pipelines to ports on the Mediterranean Sea. Oil production throughout the 1980s was reduced because of the Iran-Iraq War. Kirkuk is a market for the region's produce, including cereals, olives, fruits, and cotton. There is a small textile industry. Kirkuk is built on a mound containing the remains of a settlement dating back to 3000 B.C. Kirkuk's population is mix of Turkomans, Kurds, and Arabs; forced resettlement of many Kurds in the late 20th cent. reduced them to a minority in the city.
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