Kurds: a stateless people across four countries

PARIS: The Kurds are a non-Arab ethnic group of between 25 and 35 million people spread mainly across Iran, Iraq,  Syria  and Turkey but without a state of their own.
– Across four countries – The Kurds inhabit largely mountainous, regions across southeastern Turkey through northern  Syria  and Iraq to central Iran.
The greatest number live in Turkey, where they account for about 20 percent of the overall population.
Kurds also make up 10 percent of the population in Iran, 15-20 percent in Iraq and 15 percent in  Syria .
There are also smaller communities in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Lebanon, as well a large diaspora in Europe, particularly Germany.
The Kurds have preserved their own distinct culture, dialects and clan-based social structures.