Dec 16 (Reuters) - Britain handed over security in Basra province to Iraqi forces on Sunday.

Here are some details about the region's oil.

* Historically, two-thirds of Iraq's oil output came from southern fields and flowed through Basra. More than 1.5 million barrels of oil are still shipped through Basra every day, providing the bulk of the central government's revenue.

* By contrast, Iraq's northern exports virtually ceased after the U.S. led invasion of March 2003 because of sabotage attacks on the pipeline to Turkey. There has been a recovery recently but sales of around 400,000 bpd are a fraction of Basra's flows.

* The refining facility in Basra has a 150,000-bpd capacity located near the port but it lacks independent power generation and wastewater treatment.

* In 2006, Iraq's crude oil production under the control of the regional state-owned oil companies averaged 2.0 million bpd, down from around 2.6 million bpd production and a nameplate capacity of 2.8 to 3.0 million bpd in pre-invasion January 2003.

Sources: Reuters/Energy Information Administration/http://www.eia.doe.gov/ (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)

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