Algebra originated in the region that is now modern-day Iraq.

Key Facts:

1. Origins in Mesopotamia:

• The earliest roots of algebra can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) around 2000 BCE, where Babylonian mathematicians developed methods to solve equations, particularly linear and quadratic equations.

2. Development by Al-Khwarizmi:

• The formal foundations of algebra as we know it today were laid by the Persian mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi in the 9th century CE.

• He lived and worked in Baghdad (part of the Abbasid Caliphate, now Iraq) and wrote the book “Kitab al-Mukhtasar fi Hisab al-Jabr wal-Muqabala” (The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing). The term “algebra” comes from the word “al-Jabr” in this title.

3. Spread and Influence:

• Al-Khwarizmi’s work was translated into Latin in the 12th century, spreading algebra to Europe and influencing mathematics globally.

So, algebra as a formal branch of mathematics is closely associated with Iraq, particularly through the contributions of Al-Khwarizmi in Baghdad.