Geography of Iraq

Here is an article about the Geography of Iraq that I recently wrote for another website. I realized I should probably post it here as well as it is, of course, about geography! So, here you go:

How to Know the Geography of Iraq

"Iraq is a country in Southwest Asia ("Middle East") that is bordered by Iran, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and the Persian Gulf. Iraq has obviously been featured heavily in the world's news media for many years now for a variety of reasons, mainly the United States' involvement in the country. However, despite all this attention and involvement by the U.S., very few people seem to actually know about Iraq's Geography. Geography, after all, sets the stage and foundation for everything else that occurs on the landscape. Therefore, this article is here to help you learn a little bit about the geography of Iraq.

Major Geographic Facts About Iraq: 

-Official Name = Republic of Iraq, Jumhūriyat Al-ʿIrāq (Arabic), Komarê Iraq (Kurdish) 

-Population (2007 estimate) = 29,267,0004 (39th) 

-Capital (and largest city) = Baghdad (with 2006 population of around 7 million and metro population of around 9 million). 

-Official Languages = Arabic, Kurdish 

-Government = Developing Parliamentary Republic 

-Independence from the Ottoman Empire on October 1, 1919; from the United Kingdom on October 3, 1932. 

-GDP (PPP 2007 estimate) = Total $102.3 billion (61st); Per capita $3,600 (129th) 

-Currency = Iraqi Dinar -Time Zone = GMT+3

Physical Geography and Major Geographic Features of Iraq: In general, Iraq is comprised of four main geographical regions. (1) The desert in the west and southwest area of the country (part of the larger Syrian Desert) is sparsely populated by nomads. Wadis, which carry floodwaters during winter rains but remain dry during much of the year, run from the border to the Euphrates River through this region. (2) The rolling upland between the upper Tigris and Euphrates rivers (known as "Al Jazira", "The Island") is part of a larger geographic area that extends north into Turkey and west into Syria. Parts of this region may also be classified as desert due to low amounts of rainfall. (3) The highlands in the north and northeast region of the country extend from an area between Kirkuk and Mosul across to the mountainous borders with Iran and Turkey. In this region, broad steppes submit to mountain ranges towering from 3,300 ft. to 13,100 ft. This region supports some cultivation as well as grazing, but is also home to the majority of Iraq's Kurdish population and several of the great oil fields. (4) The alluvial plain through which the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow, begins north of Baghdad and extends southward all the way into the Persian Gulf. The two rivers carry large quantities of silt, which they deposit at a significant rate each year helping to continually build up the delta area, which is characterized by widespread marshland. Although the area in the alluvial plain between the two rivers is highly irrigated, the salinity of the soil (due to high than average salt contents of the two rivers) significantly decreases the amount of cultivation possible in this region.

Tigris River, Iraq

Climate: The Climate of Iraq is overwhelmingly characterized by desert or desert-like, arid conditions. The average temperatures in Iraq range from greater than 120 °F in July and August to well below freezing in January. Most rainfall and precipitation occurs from December through April and averages between 4 to 7 inches annually (A desert is an area characterized as having less than 10 inches of precipitation each year). The mountains in the northern area of Iraq are where above average rates of rainfall occur each year relative to the rest of the country. Around 90 percent of the annual rainfall occurs mostly in the winter months between December and March. Much of the remainder of the year is quite dry with little to no rainfall.

Baghdad, capital of Iraq, on the Tigris River

Human Geography and Settlement Patterns of Iraq: Obviously, the majority of human settlement in Iraq is clustered along the two major waterways of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, as well as other water sources. Since Iraq is dominated by an arid environment, these water sources are essential to sustaining life and agriculture. Because the Tigris/Euphrates valley is easily irrigated, it has been important to agriculture since times of early civilization. As Iraq is part of what was once known as the "Fertile Crescent" in Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq was home to such civilizations as the Sumerian, Babylonian, and Parthian cultures. Today, in fact, the economy of Iraq is largely based on agriculture, in addition to petroleum. Except for Baghdad, Iraq's capital and primate city, most Iraqis live in small villages. Additionally, several hundred thousand Iraqis are nomadic. Regarding religion, greater than 90 percent of Iraqis are followers of Islam (with the majority of Muslims in Iraq adhering to the Shiite branch of Islam). Iraq's human geography has undergone significant impact since the toppling of Saddam Hussein's government in 2003 by U.S. and coalition forces and the subsequent transitional government."

Original article by Paul McDaniel is located at:

"How to Know the Geography of Iraq" on eHow.com

Relevant Links:

• Iraq - CIA World Fact Book
  
• Iraq Background Notes - U.S. Department of State
  
• Permanent Mission of Iraq to the United Nations - Geography

Geography of U.S. Presidential Elections

Election day in the United States is only two weeks away (on November 4). On this particular election day, the United States will elect a new president. One thing that many people may not consider is how inherently geographic presidential elections are (or any election is for that matter). Geography works its way throughout a campaign and subsequent election, and the U.S. contains vast regional geographic differences that play an important role in the outcome of any election. The following video is a lecture by Professer Martin Lewis of the Department of History at Stanford University. He explains the geography of U.S. Presidential elections.

Introduction:



Lecture 1:



Additionally, you may find the following map interesting that details the geographic outcome of the 2004 U.S. Presidential election:

How to Be Globally Aware

This post comes from an article I previously wrote for another site. The original article, "How to Be Globally Aware", is located at:
How to Be Globally Aware

We all are living in an era of globalization. Ever-increasing economic, political, and cultural globalization and global interconnectedness are an important factor of life. Everything from business to the environment occur in a world without borders. Events and decisions in one place have a direct impact on events in many other places around the world. This is why it is important to develop a sense of global awareness in order to understand all the complex interconnections that affect everyone on a daily basis. This article offers of few suggestions on how to become more globally aware, particularly through the frameworks of geography, history, news and current events, and travel and study abroad.

Geography - The first step to becoming more globally aware is to become geographically literate. Globally aware citizens know their geography. An understanding of world geography is of fundamental importance in order to know where events occur and to understand why certain events occur in particular places. Geographical literacy and knowledge also helps to understand global connections. A fun, free way to build and develop your geographic literacy and knowledge of geography is to play free online geography games. One good place to begin is at "http://geogeomania.googlepages.com/geographygames" (see links in the additional resources section at the end of this article).

History - Read history about various world regions to gain an understanding of how countries and regions have developed over time - culturally, politically, and economically in particular - and how they have interacted with one another. Those past interactions over time still have a profound impact on how different countries interact with one another and how the world interacts as a whole today. The internet also provides a way to search for sites where you can read about various world, regional, and national history.

News and Current Events - Another way to become globally aware and develop your sense of global awareness is to read world news on a regular basis from a variety of sources around the world. When reading world news, don't just rely on one news source. Try to find news sources from all regions of the world. This will not only allow you to find out about events in each region but will also allow you to hear about the same world events from a variety of perspectives. The internet is an excellent resource for free access to a variety of news sources from around the world. One good place to start is Google News ("news.google.com"). This site retrieves and categorizes news articles from many sources throughout the world.

International Travel and Study Abroad - If financially feasible, try to travel internationally on occasion. Trips abroad are a valuable educational experience and serve to further increase your global knowledge and help you to become a more globally aware citizen. There really is no better way to understand the world than to experience it personally. If you are a college student, make it a priority to study abroad at some point during your time in college. Again, the internet is a good resource to investigate countless international and study abroad travel opportunities.

Remember to view things with an open mind and try to see things and understand events from a variety of perspectives.

And check out these links:

• GeoManiaWorld - Free Online Geography Games
• Google News

Geographic Literacy and Illiteracy

A while back I came across the following article, "Study: Geography Greek to young Americans", and found it both interesting and disturbing considering the prominent role the U.S. plays around the world:
CNN - Study: Geography Greek to Young Americans

Here is an article about the same story directly from National Geographic:
National Geographic - Young Americans Geographically Illiterate, Survey Suggests

The decisions and actions made and taken by the United States play a profound role and have a great impact in many local places and lives around the world. I think it might be important for U.S. citizens to at least be cognizant of who, what, and where is/are affected by the actions of our country. Here are the results of the actual survey/report described in the above articles:
2006 National Geographic-Roper Survey of Geographic Literacy

and if you would like to test your own knowledge through a twenty-question sample of the survey questions, then go here:
2006 National Geographic-Roper Survey of Geographic Literacy, Sample Questions

And here is an excerpt from WorldHum.com
"Where's Iraq?
Although we Americans are famously lacking in world geography knowledge, there has always been one surefire way we could learn a country’s place on the map: by attacking it, or at least intervening in its affairs. When that happens, our newspapers feature little regional maps with the country colored black, and our TV news shows offer up little glowing maps in the right-hand corner of our television screens. This is how we learned that Vietnam is a nation in Southeast Asia, and that Nicaragua is a small country in Central America. But now, sadly, even this extreme educational method is failing. Reports CNN: “After more than three years of combat and nearly 2,400 U.S. military deaths in Iraq, nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 18 to 24 still cannot find Iraq on a map, a study released Tuesday showed." The National Geographic-Roper Public Affairs 2006 Geographic Literacy Study states that it coincides with the launch of the National Geographic-led campaign called ‘My Wonderful World.’
MyWonderfulWorld.org
A statement on the program said it was designed to ‘inspire parents and educators to give their kids the power of global knowledge.’”

Well, here is a link to conclude this post, if you're interested, to an op-ed I wrote about the disturbing lack of geographic literacy and knowledge among young people in the United States:

May 04, 2006 - Geographic Knowledge in America is Severely Lacking

Hopefully all this will light a fire under many more people to take it upon themselves to become more geographically literate and geographically aware of the world in which they live.

To continue the discussion of the importance and necessity of a knowledge and understanding of geography, here is a poignant article by one eminent geographer, Harm de Blij, in which he comments on the current nature of geography and the importance of geography in this ever increasing era of global interconnections and economic, political, and cultural globalization:
Uncle Sam Wants You...to study geography

Finally, if you want another take on the foundational importance of the field of geography in all walks of life, you may find the following essay, by James Michener (a prominent writer), quite interesting as it describes his take on the field and how geography is quite literally the foundation for many other fields of study:
Geography - The Queenly Science