structural:summarization, structural:expansion
Basra (Arabic: ٱلْبَصْرَة, romanized: al-Baṣrah) is a city in southern Iraq. It is the capital and largest city of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the third largest city in Iraq overall, behind only Baghdad and Mosul. Basra is located near the Iran–Iraq border at the northeasternmost extent of the Arabian Peninsula, situated along the banks of the Shatt al-Arab that empties into the Persian Gulf. The majority of the city's population are Shia Muslim Arabs. Basra is consistently one of the hottest cities in Iraq, with summer temperatures regularly exceeding 50 °C (122 °F). The hottest recorded temperature in Basra is 53.9°C.

Historically, the city is one of the ports from which the fictional Sinbad the Sailor journeyed. The city was built in 636 and played an important role in the Islamic Golden Age. It was occupied by the Safavid. During World War I, the British captured Basra and incorporated it into the Mandate for Mesopotamia, and subsequently Mandatory Iraq, before it became part of the Kingdom of Iraq when it gained its independence in 1932. Basra suffered great losses during the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Basra is Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is handled at the port of Umm Qasr. However, construction of the Grand Faw Port on the southeastern coast of Basra Governorate, which is considered a national project for Iraq, is expected to strengthen Iraq's geopolitical position by giving the country the largest port in the Middle East and one of the largest in the world. Furthermore, Iraq is planning to establish a large naval base in the Faw peninsula. In April 2017, the Iraqi Parliament recognized Basra as Iraq's economic capital. Basra has emerged as an important commercial and industrial center for the country, as the city is home to a large number of manufacturing industries ranging from petrochemical to water treatment.