Iraq

• Geography

GEOGRAPHICAL INFO

 

The War-torn country of Iraq is situated in the Middle East spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert. It shares borders with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, and Iran to the east. It has a very narrow section of coastline at Umm Qasr on the Persian Gulf. The country has two major flowing rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. These rivers provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and are a contrast to the desert landscape which composes the majority of the Middle East.

 

Capital: Baghdad

Languages: Arabic, Kurdish

Currency: Iraqi Dinar (IQD)

 

Geography

Iraq's geography mainly consists of desert, but the area between the two major rivers (Euphrates and Tigris) is fertile, with the rivers carrying about 60 million cubic meters of silt annually to the delta. The north of the country is composed mostly of mountains, with the highest point being a 3,611 meters (11,847 ft) point, unnamed on the map opposite, but known locally as Cheekah Dar (black tent). Iraq has a small coastline with the Persian Gulf.

 

Climate

The local climate is mostly desert with mild to cool winters and dry, hot, cloudless summers. The northern mountainous regions experience cold winters with occasional heavy snows, sometimes causing extensive flooding.