The land inhabited by the Iraqi Kurds consists of mountain ranges, hillsides with scattered oak forests, and river valleys that can support orchards and vineyards (Bulloch 1993). The climate there is very severe. In the Northern parts the temperatures can fall to -20¢ªF in the winter and can rise above 100¢ªF in the summer (Bulloch 1993). In the lower lands, the climate is milder. The temperatures are consistently high, they are more predictable, and transportation is easier along the Tigris River Valley (Chaliand 1993). The Kurdish area includes a good portion of the vast Iraqi oil fields, especially in the province of Mosul. This is the area where international politics have swirled since before World War I (Kurdish Life 2003). The largest city in northern Iraq is the oil town of Kirkuk, which used to be about half-and-half Kurdish and Turkmen bef

ore the Iraqi government systematically reduced the Kurdish and increased the Arab population in the 1970s (Bulloch 1992). The town of Arbil and Sulemaniye are almost entirely Kurdish (Chaliand 1993).

The Iraqi Kurds are predominantly peasants. They grow wheat and barley. They also raise chickens, sheep, and goats for wool and meat. When oil was discovered in the Kurdish area, many Kurds moved towards the oil industry and relocated in the towns and cities close to the oil fields (The Kurds 2003). Kurds from the uneducated labor force in many towns and cities in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, have become skilled bricklayers, butchers, cattle deals, and small traders (Kurdish Life 2003). Many Kurdish men are career soldiers. In Iraq, they serve in the Iraqi army, their loyalty to it depending on whether they were conscripted, and whether their local leaders are allied with the army (Bulloch 1992). The Kurds have proven that they are very good at guerrilla warfare. This can be seen even today in light of the war in Iraq.

Kurdish society is traditionally tribal. Kurdish tribes are united more by geographical area than by relationship to a common ancestor. Traditionally, a Kurdish tribe or local political group at any given time had an acknowledged leader to who absolute loyalty was expected (Kurdish Life 2003). The leader¡¯s position was in some cases hereditary and in other cases elective and his power was frequently perceived in terms of the wealth at his command (Kurdish Life 2003). The leader made all decisions and could be counted on to keep foremost in mind the benefit to the tribe members and consequently to his own power

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