Arab Federation
Hashemite Arab Federation | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | |||||||||||||
| Capital and largest city | Baghdad | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Arabic (Mesopotamian Arabic, Levantine Arabic) | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Majority: Islam (Sunni and Shi'a), minorities: Christianity and others | ||||||||||||
| Government | Confederal constitutional diarchy | ||||||||||||
| Faisal II | |||||||||||||
| Hussein | |||||||||||||
| Historical era | Arab Cold War | ||||||||||||
• Established | 14 February 1958 | ||||||||||||
| 14 July 1958 | |||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 2 August 1958 | ||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 533,314 km2 (205,914 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Currency | Iraqi Dinar | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Today part of | Iraq Jordan West Bank | ||||||||||||
The Hashemite Arab Federation was a short-lived confederation that lasted from 14 February to 2 August 1958, between the Hashemite kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan. Although the name implies a federal structure, it was de facto a confederation.
The Federation was formed on 14 February 1958, when King Faisal II of Iraq and his cousin, King Hussein of Jordan, sought to unite their two Hashemite kingdoms as a response to the formation of the United Arab Republic between Egypt and Syria. The union lasted only six months. Faisal II was deposed by a military coup on 14 July, and the new Iraqi government officially dissolved the Federation 2 August 1958.