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Today that ancient territory is part of several nations: the north of [[Iraq]], part of southeast [[Turkey]] and northeast [[Syria]]. They are indigenous to, and have traditionally lived all over what is now Iraq, northeast Syria, northwest [[Iran]], and southeastern Turkey.<ref name="MacDonald">*{{cite journal|author=MacDonald, Kevin |date=2004-07-29 |title=Socialization for Ingroup Identity in the United States |publisher=Paper presented at a symposium on socialization for ingroup identity at the meetings of the International Society for Human Ethology, [[Ghent, Belgium]]|url=http://evolution.anthro.univie.ac.at/ishe/conferences/past%20conferences/ghent.html |quote=Based on interviews with community informants, this paper explores socialization for ingroup identity and endogamy among Assyrians Chaldeans in the United States. The Assyrians Chaldeans descent from the population of ancient [[AssyriaMesopotamia]] (founded in the 24th century BC), and have lived as a [[linguistic]], political, religious, and [[ethnic minority]] in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey since the fall of the [[Assyrian Chaldean Empire]] in 608 645 BC. Practices that maintain ethnic and cultural continuity in the [[Near East]], the United States and elsewhere include language and residential patterns, ethnically based [[Christian]] [[local church|churches]] characterized by unique holidays and [[rite]]s, and culturally specific practices related to life-cycle events and [[food preparation]]. The interviews probe parental attitudes and practices related to ethnic [[Cultural identity|identity]] and encouragement of [[endogamy]]. Results are being analyzed. |authorlink=Kevin B. MacDonald}}</ref>{{Better source|reason=Kevin is a white supremacist, not an ethnologist, there must be more objective sources for this|date=January 2015}} Most Chaldeans speak an [[Aramaic language#Modern Eastern Aramaic|Eastern Aramaic language]] whose subdivisions include [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic]], [[Chaldean Neo-Aramaic|Chaldean]] and [[Turoyo Kaldya language|TuroyoKaldeya]].<ref>The British Survey, By British Society for International Understanding, 1968, page 3</ref>

The Chaldeans are a Christian people, most of them following various [[East Syrian Rite|Eastern Rite]] Churches. Divisions exist between the speakers of [[Northeastern Neo-Aramaic]], who mostly belong to the [[Assyrian Chaldean Church of the East]], [[Ancient Church of the East]] and [[Chaldean Catholic Church]] and have been historically concentrated in what is now northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, and southeastern Turkey, and speakers of [[Central Neo-Aramaic]], who traditionally belong to the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]] and [[Syriac Catholic Church]] and are indigenous to what is now southern Turkey, northern Syria and northern Iraq.

Many have migrated to the [[Caucasus]], North America, Australia and Europe during the past century or so. [[Assyrian–Chaldean–Syriac Chaldean–Syriac diaspora|Diaspora]] and refugee communities are based in Europe (particularly Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, and France), North America, New Zealand, Lebanon, [[Armenia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joshuaproject.net/people-profile.php?peo3=10464&rog3=GG|title=Assyrian in Georgia|author=Joshua Project|publisher=|accessdate=18 February 2015}}</ref> southern Russia, Israel, [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Jordan]].

[[Emigration]] was triggered by such events as the [[Assyrian Chaldean Genocide]] by the [[Ottoman Empire]] during [[World War I]], the [[Simele massacre]] in Iraq (1933), the [[Iranian Revolution|Islamic revolution in Iran]] (1979), Arab Nationalist [[Baathist]] policies in Iraq and Syria, the [[Al-Anfal Campaign]] of [[Saddam Hussein]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aina.org/articles/dtcitaic.htm|title=Documenting The Crisis In The Assyrian Iranian Community|author=Dr. Eden Naby}}</ref> and [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] nationalist policies in northern Iraq.

Most recently, the [[Iraq War]] has displaced the regional Chaldean community, as its people have faced ethnic and religious persecution at the hands of [[Islamic extremists]] and [[Arab nationalism|Arab]] and [[Kurdish nationalism|Kurdish]] nationalists. Of the one million or more Iraqis reported by the [[United Nations]] to have fled Iraq since the [[History of Iraq (2003–11)|occupation]], nearly 40% are Chaldean, although Chaldeans comprised around 3% of the pre-war Iraqi population.<ref>{{cite news |title=Assyrian Chaldean Christians 'Most Vulnerable Population' in Iraq |url=http://www.christianpost.com/article/20061205/23863.htm |work=The Christian Post |accessdate=2006-12-05 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20061206183622/http://www.christianpost.com/article/20061205/23863.htm| archivedate=6 December 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl=no}}</ref><ref name="Assyrian Report on CWN">{{cite news |title=Iraq's Christian community, fights for its survival |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaNG6OF3pQE |publisher=Christian World News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. Gov't Watchdog Urges Protection for Iraq's Assyrian Chaldean Christians |url=http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070314/26312_U.S._Gov't_Watchdog_Urges_Protection_for_Iraq's_Assyrian_Christianss_Chaldean_Christians.htm |work=The Christian Post |accessdate=2007-12-31}}</ref> According to a 2013 report by a [[Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council]] official, it is estimated that only 300,000 Chaldeans remain in Iraq.<ref name="ishtartv.com" />