Mesopotamia Today: The Land Between the Tigris and Euphrates Is Iraq

The region between the **Tigris and Euphrates rivers**—historically **Mesopotamia** ("between rivers")—is today **largely the territory of Iraq**.

Modern Boundaries

• Iraq: Contains ~85% of the Mesopotamian alluvial plain (Baghdad, Basra, Najaf, Mosul).
• Syria: Upper Euphrates and Khabur tributary (Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor).
• Turkey: Headwaters of both rivers (dams: Atatürk, Ilısu).
• Iran: Eastern Tigris tributaries (Diyala, Karkheh); Shatt al-Arab border.
• Kuwait: Bubiyan Island at Shatt al-Arab mouth.

Key Features

• Shatt al-Arab: Confluence of Tigris & Euphrates (at Qurna) → 190 km to Persian Gulf.
• Marshlands: Mesopotamian Marshes (Hawizeh, Central, Hammar)—partially restored after 1990s drainage.
• Ancient Cities: Ur, Uruk, Babylon, Nineveh, Assur—all within this zone.

Geopolitics of Water

Turkey's GAP project (22 dams) controls ~90% of Euphrates flow, ~50% of Tigris. Iraq and Syria face acute scarcity. No binding treaty exists—water is a core security issue.

Mesopotamia's geography endures; its politics are fiercely contested.