Kirkuk (Kurdish:کهرکووکKirkûk,Arabic:كركوكKarkūk; Turkish: Kerkük, Azerbaijani: Kərkük) is a city in the north of Iraq, 236 kilometres (147mi) north of Baghdad and 83 kilometres (52 miles) south of Erbil. It is the capital of Kirkuk Governorate. Kurds are a majority in the Kirkuk center.