The Euphrates river - Case of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers

Etymology : (Arab) Al-Furāt ; (Turkish) Fırat

Average flow : 35,9 bcm (billion cubic meters)

Length : 2.780 km / 1.725 miles

Riverside countries : Turkey, Syria (657 km) and Iraq (1.200 km)

Near Elazig, the Euphrates is divided into two main branches : the Karasu, which is considered as the real Euphrates, and the Murat. Then, in Iraq, near Bagdad, it separates into two branches : the Hindiya and the Hilla. In Iraq, it joins the Tigris before ending into the Persian Gulf. The junction of the Tigris and the Euphrates constitutes a large marshy delta called Chatt al-Arab.
A canal joins the Euphrates to the Tigris (885km=550mi).

The Euphrates comes mostly from rainfalls on the Armenian plateau in Turkey and die in the Persian Gulf. The volume of the river rises from March to May and then goes down until the end of November. It flows very slowly. It is navigable by very shallow-draffy boats from the Persian Gulf to the town of Hit in Iraq ; above Hit, it isn’t navigable because of shoals and rapids. It knows a lot of flooding from April to June, in some measure, due to snow falls in Turkish mountains ; however, the number of these inundations has been reduced by the construction of dams and reservoirs. It frequently changes course because of alluvial deposits.

To know more :

http://gurukul.ucc.american.edu

http://www.jameswbell.com

http://www.american.edu

http://www.universalis.fr
http://fr.encarta.msn.com

Iraq - Case of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers

Capital : Baghdad


Official languages : Arabic, Kurdish


Developing parliament republic :
- President : Jalal Talabani
- Prime Minister : Nouri al-Maliki


Area : 440,000 km²

Another map : http://www.theglobaleducationproject.org/mideast/info/maps/iraq-map.html

Population :

- 29,300,000 inhabitants

- 66 inhabitants/km²

Currency : Iraqi dinar

Geography

The middle of the country is called Mesopotamia. This state is arid. Consequently, agriculture is closely linked to irrigation. The main cultivated cereals are wheat and barley. The main resource is oil.

Syria - Case of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers

Capital : Damascus

Official language : Arabic

Presidential republic :
- President : Bashar al-Assad
- Prime Minister : Muhammad Naji al-Otari

Area : 185,000 km²

Population :
- 19,400,000 inhabitants
- 103 inhabitants/km²

Currency : Syrian pound

Geography

Syria has got several ports along the Mediteranean sea such as Latakia, Baniyas, Tartus and some huge cities like Aleppo, Hamah, Hims.

-Natural conditions :

In Northwestern Syria, the 'djebel Ansariyya' is a warm and humid coastal plain. The "Croissant ferile" is a grassy steppe where the rainfall rate is about 300mm/year.

- Economy :
In Northwestern Syria, mediteranean mixed-farming is done. In the "Croissant fertile" grow cereals, cotton and fruit. Wheat, barley, vegetables and tobacco are also cultivated. Moreover, Syria knows livestock farming. What is more, it has got resources of petroleum and gas.

Turkey - Case of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers

Capital : Ankara

Official language : Turkish

Parliamentary republic :
- President : Abdullah Gül
- Prime Minister : Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
- Speaker of the Parliament : Köksal Toptan

Area : 780,000 km²

Population :
- 72,000,000 inhabitants
- density : 93 inhabitants / km²
- growth population rate : around 2%

Currency : New Turkish Lira

Geography

- Natural conditions :
The Anatolian plateau is about 1,132 meters high and counts a great number of lakes such as the Lake Van. The main mountains are the Taurus Mountains (in the South) and the Pontique Mountains (in the North).
Spring is very warm. Rainfalls are unfairly spread : in the North, along the Black Sea, it rains all the year whereas in the West and the South, it mainly rains in winter.
The vegetation is varied : shrubs in the Mediterranean region, forests in the mountains. In the Central Anatolia, there is a poor vegetation because it’s very arid.

- Population
The main minority is the Kurds.
The majority of the population lives in the West and half the population lives in town.

- Economy
Half the workers works in agriculture, mainly in small family farms. In the Anatolian plateau, cereals, like wheat and barley, are cultivated and goats and sheep are reared. Along the Marmara Sea and the Black Sea, tobacco, fruit trees and sometimes tea plant and hazel trees are cultivated. In the Mediterranean region, cotton, grapes, rice, bananas and citrus fruits are cultivated.
The mining resources of Turkey are : coal, lignite, iron, copper, bauxite, chromium, manganese and petroleum.
Hydroelectricity is very important.

Case of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers

The Middle East has been suffering several water conflicts between upstream and downstream countries for five thousands years because peoples or sovereign states didn’t get on well to share water.

First, the Middle East is one of the most arid regions in the world. Moreover, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow through three different states : Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Furthermore, the Middle East is a politically unstable area. What is more, freshwater demands are rising not only because the population growth rate is still increasing but also because these states are developing-countries (water management projects like construction of dams). In addition, the control of these rivers can begin a new weapon in diplomacy and political fields.

To know more :
http://gurukul.ucc.american.edu

The new 'blue gold'

As the 'dark gold', water is a crucial current issue. In fact, water is needed by everyone to survive but also by human's activities (agriculture, industries, hobbies...). That's why, water can generate conflicts between populations or states.

Despite, there is enough water in the world, there are a lot of water conflicts because this one is extremely badly distributed : some countries have got too much water (Canada...) whereas others haven't got enough (Egypt...).

So many conflicts were, are and will be linked to water : for instance, the Six Day War which opposed Israel against Egypt, Syria and Jordan in 1967 that enabled to supply the country with water by conquering new territories ; other example : the dispute between Turkey, Syria and Iraq about the Euphrates river and the Tigris river ; last example : the tension between Canada and the United States of America about the Great Lakes.

However, most of these conflicts end up by peaceful resolutions and sometimes by cooperation agreements.

To know more :

Clés de l'actualité n°611