Iraq's Vital Rivers: Tigris and Euphrates

Iraq's civilization and agriculture depend on two great rivers:

• Tigris: 1,850 km; rises in Turkey, flows through Baghdad, joins Euphrates at Shatt al-Arab. Ancient cities: Nineveh, Assur.
• Euphrates: 2,800 km; rises in Turkey, flows through Syria, Iraq. Cradle of Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian civilizations. Cities: Basra, Hillah.

Both face modern challenges: upstream dams, pollution, climate change, and water-sharing disputes.