Red Kurdistan, which lay between Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia's Syunik, was settled by nomadic Kurdish tribes in the 18th century. In 1920, it became part of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and on May 23, 1923, it was given the status of an autonomous province called Red Kurdistan. The region had Laçın as its administrative center and Kurmanji as its official language, but was dissolved in 1929.

The Republic of Ararat, proclaimed in 1927 during the Ararat Uprising, was a Kurdish state in eastern Turkey. It was never recognized internationally and is disputed. The region has been under Turkish control since 1931 at the latest.

The Republic of Mahabad was the only Kurdish nation state. It was proclaimed in 1946 in Mahabad in Iran and lasted less than a year before it was defeated by the Iranian army.

The Autonomous Region of Kurdistan in Iraq was established in 1970 following a treaty between Saddam Hussein and Kurdish leaders. It enjoys extensive autonomy, including its own government, capital (Erbil) and security forces.