Previous Year Question

The Sunni Triangle is an informal geographical term used for a region of central Iraq. It is commonly described as an approximately triangular area associated with Baghdad, Ramadi and Tikrit. It is not an official administrative division.

Baghdad is associated with the south-eastern part of this region, Ramadi with its western part and Tikrit with its northern part. Thus, all three cities are associated with the Sunni Triangle in the context of the question.

Basra, in contrast, is a major port city situated far to the south of Iraq, near the Shatt al-Arab and the Persian Gulf. Geographically, it lies well south of the central Baghdad–Ramadi–Tikrit region and is not part of the Sunni Triangle.

The term became especially prominent internationally in the context of the Iraq War after 2003. It is therefore better understood as a historical-geographical expression rather than a region with fixed legal or administrative boundaries.