The Federation of Mesopotamia (Arabic: الاتحاد الرافدين, al-Ittiḥād al-rāfidayn; Kurdish: Federasyona Mezopotamya), colloquially known as Mesopotamia (الرافدين, al-rāfidayn; Mezopotamya), is a sovereign nation located within the Middle East. Historically known as Iraq, the modernday began following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following World War I, with the region becoming a protectorate of the United Kingdom. Originally established as a monarchy under the control of the Hashemites, Iraq formally became a republic in 1958 and would remain under the control of the Ba'ath Party until the 1990s.