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I RAQ

two non-Arab countries that border Iraq are Turkey, which lies to the north, and Iran, to the east. T HE R IVERS Centuries before the name “Iraq” was used, the Greeks called the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers “Mesopotamia,” which means “between the rivers.” It is along these rivers—especially at Baghdad and to the south—where most of Iraq’s people have settled and where the country’s heaviest industries have developed. From very early times, an irrigation system was developed that allowed agriculture to expand into the land between the two rivers. Thus the rivers have made the land fertile, helping people fortunate enough to live there to prosper. The Tigris River has its source in the mountains of eastern Turkey. It enters Iraq in the far north and zigzags southeast through the country for 881 miles (1,418 km). After flowing through Baghdad, Iraq’s capital city, the Tigris continues southeast to the town of Al Qurnah, where it meets the Euphrates River. The united rivers then become the Shatt al Arab, which flows south for about 100 miles (161 km) before entering the Persian Gulf. For much of this distance the river marks Iraq’s southeastern border with Iran. For centuries, the Tigris River flooded in late winter and early

Words to Understand in This Chapter

alluvial—related to river-deposited materials like silt laid down on floodplains and deltas. irrigation—to supply water to farmland by artificial means, such as diverting it from a river or other water source, or by spraying it onto the land. wadi—an dry streambed that may flood after heavy rains.