AI English Translation, Pages 1-25
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.
Iraq (Page 3)
PONDS.
The main ponds are:
1) Hor Al-Hammar located between Basra and Nasiriyah.
2) Hor Abu-Najn and Hor Al-Shanafiyah located between Hillah and
Hindiyah.
3) Hor Abu-Dibs located west of Karbala.
4) Lake Habbaniyah located between Ramadi and Fallujah.
5) Hor Aqarquf located to the ⟦...⟧-West of Baghdad.
6) Hor Al-Hawizeh located between Qurna and Amara.
The main marsh is that of Shwayja.
The Flood.
It begins towards the end of February. The flood reaches its
maximum in the month of April; It is caused by spring rains
and the melting of snow.
The advantage of the flood lies in the fact that the river <del>xxx</del>
carries large ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ fer⟦...⟧
On the other hand, the flood can cause damage ⟦...⟧
the floods it causes are very strong because the villages and
fields are then submerged and the many marshes that the
river leaves behind when receding multiply mosquitoes and
spread malaria.
Vegetation.
In central and southern Iraq where <del>xxx</del> rain is rare,
thorny plants grow. In the North where rain is
frequent, one finds vast meadows and fruit trees
such as walnut trees, almond trees...
The main agricultural productions of Iraq are:
1) Cereals: (wheat, corn, barley, oats) watered in the North by
rainwater, in the South by irrigation water.
2) Rice: It is cultivated in the South in marshy lands. It
is also cultivated in the North on the banks of rivers (valleys of
Shahrizor, Bazian and Akre).
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.
Iraq (Page 5)
3) The manufacture of some liqueurs.
4) Soap factories.
5) Glassworks.
6) Brickworks: Bricks used for the construction
of houses.
7) Tanneries and the manufacture of shoes.
8) The preparation and preservation of dates.
Sugar refineries and steel mills are in the process of completion.
There are also plans to install factories for the manufacture
of paper and cardboard.
Mineral Wealth.
The soil of Iraq contains many minerals such as
iron, sulfur and coal (in the North), copper, zinc,
asphalt, rock salt and oil.
Asphalt is used in the construction of houses and
to make ⟦illegible⟧ the ⟦illegible⟧
and Hammam Al-'Alil.
Rock Salt: The State maintains a monopoly on salt. It exploits
it and sells it to the inhabitants. The main salt mines
are in the regions of Mosul, Jebel Hamrin, Samawah, Sha-
tata, At Fao, salt is extracted from sea water.
Oil: Iraq's main resource is oil.
Iraq possesses large wells; and it is considered, from
the point of view of oil wealth, the fourth country in the world.
Iraqi oil is exploited by three foreign companies:
1) Iraqi Petroleum Company: Its monopoly is limited to the
regions located East of the Tigris between Baghdad and Mosul.
2) British Petroleum Company: Its monopoly is limited to the
regions located West of the Tigris between Baghdad and Mosul.
3) Basrah Petroleum Company: It has the monopoly over the South
of Iraq.
Iraq (Page 6)
Livestock.
The domestic animals raised in Iraq are: sheep,
cows, horses, donkeys and buffaloes.
Camels are mainly raised by nomadic tribes.
Mules are numerous in mountainous regions.
One can mention poultry such as chickens, geese,
ducks, turkeys.
Wild animals live in the forests and deserts,
and abound in the mountains. The main species are:
the wild boar, the bear, the fox, the hyena, the wolf and the deer.
EXPORTS.
The main products that Iraq exports abroad
are:
1) Cereals (wheat, barley, corn, rice).
2) Dates. We distinguish:
a) Dates preserved in bags and exported to India
and Saudi Arabia.
b) Dates prepared and preserved in wooden or
cardboard boxes and exported to Europe and America.
3) Livestock is sold to Syria and Transjordan.
4) Livestock products (Woolens, skins, fats).
5) Cotton, sesame, licorice.
IMPORTS.
Iraq imports:
1) Woolens, cottons and silks from the United States,
England, France and India.
2) Steam engines and automobiles from the United States and
England.
3) Sugar and tea from India.
4) Glassware and chemical products (pharmaceutical
products, colors, chemical fertilizers).
5) Wood and paper.
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Communication Routes.
1) Waterways: Large ships cross the Shatt-Al-Arab and
reach as far as Basra. Small boats can go up
the Tigris as far as Baghdad.
2) Air routes: Thanks to its geographical location, Iraq has
become a major communication center between Europe, the Far
and Middle East. Large airfields are located in
Baghdad, Basra, Mosul and Kirkuk.
3) Railways and roads.
a) A railway connects Baghdad to the cities of Basra, Kir-
kuk and Mosul.
b) Motorable roads connect the majority of
Iraqi cities with each other.
POPULATION.
It is sparse in relation to the area of the country. The
inhabitants of Iraq belon⟦...⟧ to several races ⟦...⟧ A⟦...⟧bs
constitute the majority. Next come the Kurd⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ domi-
nate especially in the northern regions. The others
are Turks, Persians and Armenians.
Islam is the religion of the majority. Next come
Christianity, Judaism, Sabeanism and Yazidism.
The inhabitants of Iraq are divided from the point of view of civiliza-
tion and housing into three categories:
1) <del>The</del> The City Dwellers: They live in cities and work mainly
in commerce and industry. Others are civil servants;
some are farmers.
2) The peasants: They live in villages and farms. They
cultivate the fields and raise livestock.
3) The nomads: They have no fixed dwelling. They wander from one
place to another and live in tents. Their activity is
limited to grazing livestock.
⟦circular stamp illegible⟧
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.
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