Editing Geography of Iraq (section)

==Major geographical features==
Most geographers, including those of the Iraqi government, discuss the country's geography in terms of four main zones or regions: the [[desert]] in the west and southwest; the rolling upland between the upper Tigris and Euphrates rivers (in Arabic the ''Dijla'' and ''Furat'', respectively); the highlands in the north and northeast; and the alluvial plain through which the Tigris and Euphrates flow.
Iraq's official statistical reports give the total land area as {{convert|438446|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, whereas a [[United States Department of State]] publication gives the area as {{convert|434934|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.

===Upper Mesopotamia===
{{further|Upper Mesopotamia}}
[[File:Iraqi Kurdish villagers in field near Turkish border.jpg|left|thumb|239x239px|Agriculture is the main occupation of the people.]]
The uplands region, between the Tigris north of [[Hamrin Mountains]] and the Euphrates north of [[Hit, Iraq|Hit]], is known as [[Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia|Al Jazira]] (the island) and is part of a larger area that extends westward into Syria between the two rivers and into [[Turkey]]. Water in the area flows in deeply cut valleys, and [[irrigation]] is much more difficult than it is in the lower plain. The southwest areas of this zone are classified as desert or semi-desert. The northern parts, which include such places like the [[Nineveh Plains]], [[Duhok]], [[Zakho]] and [[Amedi]], mainly consist of [[Mediterranean shrub|Mediterranean]] vegetation. The vegetation cyclically dries out and appear brown in the virtually arid summer and flourish in the wet winter.

===Lower Mesopotamia===
{{further|Lower Mesopotamia|Mesopotamian Marshes|Shatt al-Arab}}

An [[alluvial plain]] begins north of [[Baghdad]] and extends to the [[Persian Gulf]]. Here the Tigris and Euphrates rivers lie above the level of the plain in many places, and the whole area is a [[river delta]] interlaced by the channels of the two rivers and by irrigation canals. Intermittent [[lake]]s, fed by the rivers in flood, also characterize southeastern Iraq. A fairly large area ({{convert|15000|km2|mi2|abbr=on|disp=or}}) just above the confluence of the two rivers at [[Al Qurnah]] and extending east of the Tigris beyond the Iranian border is marshland, known as [[Hawr al Hammar]], the result of centuries of flooding and inadequate drainage. Much of it is permanent marsh, but some parts dry out in early winter, and other parts become marshland only in years of great flood.

Because the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates above their confluence are heavily [[silt]]- laden, [[irrigation]] and fairly frequent flooding deposit large quantities of silty loam in much of the delta area. Windborne silt contributes to the total deposit of sediments. It has been estimated that the delta plains are built up at the rate of nearly twenty centimeters in a century. In some areas, major floods lead to the deposit in temporary lakes of as much as thirty centimeters of mud.

The Tigris and Euphrates also carry large quantities of [[salt (chemistry)|salt]]s. These, too, are spread on the land by sometimes excessive irrigation and flooding. A high [[water table]] and poor surface and subsurface drainage tend to concentrate the salts near the surface of the soil. In general, the salinity of the soil increases from Baghdad south to the Persian Gulf and severely limits productivity in the region south of [[Al Amarah]]. The [[salinity]] is reflected in the large lake in central Iraq, southwest of Baghdad, known as [[Bahr al Milh]] (Sea of Salt). There are two other major lakes in the country to the north of Bahr al Milh: [[Buhayrat ath Tharthar]] and [[Buhayrat al Habbaniyah]].

===Baghdad area===
{{main|Baghdad Belts}}
[[File:Tigris River in Baghdad (2016).jpg|center|thumb|1060x1060px|Panoramic view of the Tigris as it flows through Baghdad]]
Between Upper and Lower Mesopotamia is the urban area surrounding [[Baghdad]]. These "[[Baghdad Belts]]" can be described as the provinces adjacent to the Iraqi capital and can be divided into four quadrants: northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest. Beginning in the north, the belts include the province of [[Saladin Governorate|Saladin]], clockwise to Baghdad province, [[Diyala Governorate|Diyala]] in the northeast, [[Babil Governorate|Babil]] and [[Wasit Governorate|Wasit]] in the southeast and around to [[Al Anbar Governorate|Al Anbar]] in the west.

===Highlands===
{{main|Zagros Mountains|Hamrin Mountains}}
[[File:Zagros iraq.png|left|thumb|A road through the Zagros Mountains]]
[[File:Piran Mountain.jpg|thumbnail|left|Piran and Mount Piran seen from Kure Hure summit]]
The northeastern highlands begin just south of a line drawn from [[Mosul]] to [[Kirkuk]] and extend to the borders with [[Turkey]] and [[Iran]]. High ground, separated by broad, undulating [[steppe]]s, gives way to mountains ranging from {{convert|1000|to|3611|m|ft|0|sp=us}} near the Iranian and Turkish borders. Except for a few valleys, the mountain area proper is suitable only for grazing in the foothills and steppes; adequate soil and rainfall, however, make cultivation possible. Here, too, are the great oil fields near Mosul and Kirkuk. The northeast is the homeland of most Iraqi [[Kurd]]s.
{{Further|topic=the Basra region's highest terrain at|Safwan Hill}}

===Desert===
{{main|Syrian Desert|Arabian Desert}}
[[File:20160104-Lake in Samawa desert Iraq 0356.jpg|thumb|274x274px|A reservoir in the [[Samawah]] desert of Southern Iraq]]
The desert zone, an area lying west and southwest of the Euphrates River, is a part of the [[Syrian Desert]] and [[Arabian Desert]], which covers sections of [[Syria]], [[Jordan]], and [[Saudi Arabia]] and most of the [[Arabian Peninsula]].
The region, sparsely inhabited by pastoral [[Bedouin]]s, consists of a wide stony plain interspersed with rare sandy stretches. A widely ramified pattern of [[wadi]]s–watercourses that are dry most of the year–runs from the border to the Euphrates. Some [[wadi]]s are over {{convert|400|km|mi|abbr=on}} long and carry brief but torrential floods during the winter rains.

Western and southern Iraq is a vast desert region covering some {{convert|64,900|mi2|km2|abbr=off}}, almost two-fifths of the country. The western desert, an extension of the Syrian Desert, rises to elevations above {{convert|1,600|ft|m|abbr=off}}. The southern desert is known as Al-Hajarah in the western part and as Al-Dibdibah in the east. Both deserts are part of the Arabian Desert. Al Hajarah has a complex topography of rocky desert, wadis, ridges, and depressions. Al-Dibdibah is a more sandy region with a covering of scrub vegetation. Elevation in the southern desert averages between {{convert|1,000|and|2,700|ft|metre|abbr=off}}. A height of {{convert|3,119|ft|m|abbr=off}} is reached at Mount 'Unayzah at the intersection of the borders of Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The deep Wadi Al-Batin runs {{convert|45|mi|km}} in a northeast–southwest direction through Al-Dibdibah. It has been recognized since 1913 as the boundary between western [[Kuwait]] and Iraq.