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I R A Q
Limits and Area.
Iraq is bordered:
To the North by Turkey,
To the East by Iran
To the South by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Persian Gulf.
To the West by Syria and Transjordan.
The area ⟦...⟧ approximately 453,500 Km². Its
inhabitants number ⟦...⟧ approximately 5 million.
Relief of the Soil.
One can divide ⟦...⟧ into 3 parts:
1) Kurdistan: it is a region bordered by Turkey on one
hand and the plateaus of Iran on the other. It includes
heights which are almost deserted in their upper
parts. Small forests scattered here and there are found there.
In the valleys and ⟦...⟧ mountains.
⟦...⟧habitants of this region are mostly Kurds.
2) Upper Iraq:
It includes the North of Iraq. It is largely
a plain rising in some places to form
hills like those of Sinjar to the West of Mosul.
It is crisscrossed by a large number of watercourses such as
Al-Khabour, Al-Zab Al-Ala, Al-Zab Al-Asfal, and Di⟦...⟧ .
3) Lower Iraq.
It includes the South of Iraq. It is more ⟦...⟧ in the North
than in the South. Sediments carried by the Tigris and the Euphrates
are constantly added to its soil. Few watercourses
are found there; that is why the cities and villages have
risen on the banks of two great rivers: the Tigris and the
Euphrates.
CLIMATE.
Without the Tigris and the Euphrates, Iraq would be an arid region;
for it is, in large part, a country where rain falls in
insufficient quantity.
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Iraq (Page 2)
Iraq has a continental climate: very hot summers, harsh
winters. The rain that falls in Iraq is not enough to main-
tain cultivation; hence the considerable importance given to irri-
gation.
The four ⟦of⟧ s⟦ea⟧sons of the year do not have the same duration.
The longest is summer (more than 4 months). Winter is less
long (about 3 months). Autumn and spring are very short
and do not last more than ⟦two⟧ months.
Watercourses.
The main watercourses are:
1) The Tigris: It enters Iraq at Fishkhabur, and it receives
several tributaries: Al-Khabur, Al-Zab Al-A'la, Az-Zab Al-Asfal,
Al-Adhaim and Diyala.
⟦Ex⟧ Several watercourses branch off from the Tigris; The main one is
Al-Gharraf near Kut.
⟦...⟧ Tigris ⟦...⟧
Kut, Al-Amara,
2) The Euphrates.
It enters Iraq near Al-Qa'im, it traverses
rocky, low-elevation regions until Ramadi. After Ramadi,
the Euphrates passes through plains and gets closer and
closer to the Tigris. After Al-Musayib, the Euphrates divides into two
branches: one waters the two cities of Hillah and Diwaniyah
and the other waters Hindiyah and Kufa. These two watercourses re-
unite again near Samawah. From there, the Euphrates heads
towards Nasiriyah, passes through Hor Al-Hammar, and joins the Tigris
near Qurna, where the two rivers form only
one: Shatt al-Arab.
3) Shatt al-Arab.
It is the Tigris and the Euphrates joined. It ends in the
Gulf of Basra near the city of Fao. The Karun River
is a tributary of the Shatt al-Arab. It originates in Iran.
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Iraq (Page 4)
3) Cotton: For several years, Iraq has been deploying a great deal of ac-
tivity for the production of Cotton. Cotton cultivation is
progressing. The main cotton-producing regions
are those of Baghdad, Mosul, Diyala and Hillah.
4) Tobacco: Tobacco cultivation is becoming more and more prosperous.
The tobacco-producing regions are those of Sulaymaniyah,
Erbil, Mosul, Diyala, Hillah and Karbala.
The government is working to improve tobacco seed,
by importing seeds from America.
5) Dates: Iraq produces the best species of dates.
About 180 species are cultivated there. The dry climate of the country, the
heat and the abundance of water, all this greatly favors
the growth of <del>datxx</del> date palms.
Iraq exports its dates all over the world.
The main regions rich in date palms are those of
Shatt-Al-Arab, ⟦...⟧
6) Lemon: Its main center is that of Diyala. ⟦A⟧ part
of the lemons is consumed in the country, another is exported
to Iran.
7) Sesame is planted in central Iraq.
8) Alfalfa and clover are planted in several regions
and constitute food for livestock.
Forests of firs and cypresses cover the mountains of
Northern Iraq.
INDUSTRY.
Industry is little developed in Iraq. One finds there small
tite factories that do not employ in all more than 2000 workers.
Only the oil industry occupies about 12000 workers.
Iraq imports from abroad the main industrial material
which it needs.
Iraqi industry consists of:
1) The exploitation and weaving of Cotton.
2) The manufacture of cigarettes.
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Iraq (Page 8)
Main Cities.
Baghdad: It is the capital of Iraq. It is situated
on the banks of the Tigris, and it is the center of all the
communication routes that connect the different
regions of Iraq. One finds there the airfields and the
railway stations.
Mosul: Mosul is, after Baghdad, the most important city.
It is si⟦tuated⟧ at the crossing of the roads that connect
Syria and Turkey to Iraq.
To the West of Mosul lie the ruins of Nineveh,
ancient Assyrian capital.
Basra is the third important city. It is situated
on the Shatt-Al-Arab and constitutes an important port. It is
renowned for its date palm gardens.
The other important cities are:
Kirkuk, Hillah, ⟦Amara⟧, Kut, Diwaniyah, Sulaymaniyah, ⟦Ramadi⟧,
Erbil...
Some cities are known as religious centers.
One mentions: Najaf, Karbala and Samarra.
⟦line⟧