Geography

The geography of Iraq consists of Mountains in the northern part of the country, Plains in the valleys of the two rivers which run from the North to the South, Marshes in the South and Desert in the Western Parts. The climate is usually mild and cool during the winter, and dry and hot during the summer. However, the northern mountainous regions experience cold winters with occasional heavy snows that sometimes cause extensive flooding.
 
 Seventy-four percent of Iraq’s population are Arabs. Other major ethnic groups include the Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrians and others, who live mostly in the north and northeast of the country.
 
 Iraq was historically known as the Mesopotamia, which in Greek literally means, “between the rivers”. It was the home of the first-known civilization, the Sumerian, followed by the Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian cultures. These civilizations produced the earliest writing and some of the first form of sciences, mathematics, laws and philosophies of the world making it known as the “Cradle of Civilization.”