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Basra (Arabic ??????; BGN Al Basrah, also called 'Basorah, Abillah and Uruk) is the capital of Basra Province, and had an estimated population of 1,052,200 as of 2003.[2] Basra is also Iraq's main port. The city is the historic location of Sumeria, the home of Sinbad the sailor, and a proposed location of the Garden of Eden. It also played an important role in early Islamic history, being built in 636 CE, or 14 AH. The city is located along the Shatt al-Arab waterway near the Persian Gulf, 55&_160;kilometers (34&_160;mi) from the Persian Gulf and 545&_160;kilometers (339&_160;mi) from Baghdad, Iraq's capital and largest city. The area surrounding Basra has substantial petroleum resources and many oil wells. The city also has an international airport, which recently began restored service into Baghdad with Iraqi Airways—the nation's flag airline. Basra is in a fertile agricultural region, with major products including rice, maize corn, barley, pearl millet, wheat, dates, and livestock. The city's oil refinery has a production capacity of about 140,000 barrels a day (22,300 m³). Muslim adherents of the area are primarily members of the Jafari Shi`a sect. A sizable number of Sunnis, 35%[3] of Basra, also live there—although after the war it decreased to less than 10%,[3] as well as a small number of Christians. There are also remnants of the pre-Islamic gnostic sect of Mandaeans, whose headquarters were in the area formerly called Suk esh-Sheikh.
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