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Iraq Geography
The
northern portion of Iraq, a region known as Al Jazirah, is mountainous
with elevations of nearly 2,135 meters (nearly 7,005 feet) near the
Turkish border. In the northeast, Haji
Ibrahim, reaches 3,600 meters
(11,811 feet) to become the highest point in Iraq.
Farther south, the terrain slopes downward to form a broad central
alluvial plain occupied by the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers. Extreme southeastern Iraq is low lying and marshy. West of the
Euphrates, the land rises gradually to meet the Syrian Desert.
Present-day Iraq occupies the the ancient land of Mesopotamia, the
fertile plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which flow
through Iraq from northwest to southeast. The rivers meet about 160
kilometers (about 100 miles) north of the Arab Gulf to form the Shatt
al Arab, which drains into the gulf. The chief tributaries of the Tigris
are the Great Zab and the Little Zab.
Level terrain separates the Tigris and the Euphrates in their lower
courses. The two rivers once were joined by a network of canals and
irrigation ditches, which directed the water of the higher-lying and
more westerly Euphrates across the valley into the Tigris.
Most of Iraq has a continental climate with extremes of heat and cold.
The mountainous north has cool summers and cold winters. In central
Iraq, the summers are long and hot and the winters short and cool. The
mean January temperature in Baghdad is 9°C (49°F); in July and August
it is 33°C (92°F), and temperatures as high as 51°C (123°F) have
been recorded. In the southern area around the Arab Gulf, some of the
highest atmospheric temperatures in the world have been recorded.
In the northeastern highlands, rainfall is considerable from October to
May. Farther south, on the central alluvial plain, precipitation is
slight, averaging approximately 150 millimeters (approximately 6 inches)
annually. The Syrian Desert receives little or no rain.
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