Nineveh Governorate ( , , ) is a
governorate in
northern Iraq, which contains the ancient
Assyrian city of
Nineveh, was an integral part of
Assyria from the 25th century BC to 7th century AD, and still retains an
indigenous Assyrian community to this day. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,453,000 people in 2003. Its chief city and provincial capital is
Mosul, which lies across the
Tigris river from the ruins of ancient
Nineveh.
Tal Afar is also a major city within the region. Before 1976, it was called
Mosul Province and it included the present-day
Dohuk Governorate.