Iraq: Geography#
Location | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait |
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Geographic Coordinates | 33 00 N, 44 00 E 33.0,44.0 |
Area | total: 438,317 sq km land: 437,367 sq km water: 950 sq km We are unable to verify those figures from Factbook, since the 6 main sources we used for checking give different figures as follows: Factbook: 438317 DBpedia: 438314 Geoname: 437072 Infoplease: 433970 Britannica: 434128 Wolfram: 437072 Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
Land boundaries | total: 3,809 km border countries: Iran 1,599 km, Jordan 179 km, Kuwait 254 km, Saudi Arabia 811 km, Syria 599 km, Turkey 367 km |
Coastline | 58 km |
Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Cheekha Dar (Kurdish for "Black Tent"); 3,611 m |
Highest Mountains | As there is no entry in Wolfram we are listing mountain list of Geonames only: According to Geonames: Hasari Rost 3608 m; Sari Khazni 3298 m; Barbazin Rowst 2894 m; Qoch i Biri m ishka 2890 m; Shiv -e Sivil 2843 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
Terrain | mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey |
Natural Hazards | dust storms; sandstorms; floods |
Natural Resource | petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur |
Land Use | arable land: 9.19% permanent crops: 0.48% other: 90.33% (2011) |
Climate | mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq |
Irrigated Land | 35,250 sq km (2003) |
Renewable Water Resources | 89.86 cu km (2011) |
Environment_CurrentIssues | government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Baghdad; al-Mawsil; al-Basrah; Irbil; Kirkuk According to Geonames: Baghdad; Al Basrah; Al Mawsil al Jadidah; Al Basrat al Qadimah; Mosul Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Cities |
Geography-note | strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf |