The governorate is one of two small provinces of all 19 in Iraq into which the country divides entirely, yet by a margin of almost three-to-one, the most populous.

It used to have one of the highest rates for terrorism in the world with suicide bombers, however terrorist attacks have been rare since the territorial defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq in late 2017.

Baghdad has at least 12 bridges spanning the Tigris river - joining the east and west of the city.

The Sadr City district is the most densely populated area in Iraq.

Representatives to the Baghdad Provincial Council were elected by their peers from the lower councils of the administrative districts in Baghdad in numbers proportional to the population of the various districts that were represented.