The Inflence of Rivers and Climate on Baghdad, Iraq Essay -- Environme

The Inflence of Rivers and Climate on Baghdad, Iraq The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, along with their reaction to the climate, have both helped and hurt Baghdad, Iraq. The rivers provided pathways to other civilizations, allowing Baghdad to grow into the transportation and cultural center of Iraq. Its fertile soil, deposited by flooding, provided the area with the ability to become the birthplace of civilization through tremendous agricultural production. Although the flooding of the rivers greatly enhanced the area, it has also had disastrous effects, severely damaging food production and the culture of its people. Baghdad’s geographical location has allowed the city to flourish due to the availability of transportation. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have encouraged trade between societies, enhancing cultural and economic development. Every new development of transportation has helped the expansion of Baghdad, an example being the invention of the steamboat. The relatively fast moving ships brought significant wealth to the area by permitting more frequent communication and travel to other societies. Less navigable sections of the rivers were later made passable by the establishment of navigation channels. The need for more transportation systems led to the construction of railways, including more than thirty bridges crossing the rivers which connect Baghdad with much of the rest of the country.1 Baghdad, possessing vast highways, railways, canals, and an airport as a result of its ease of development by geographic and climatic advantages, is the center of Iraqi transportation. The hot, arid summer climate of Iraq precipitates next to no rain, causing winter rains to significantly increase water levels. The clima... ...ad, occupied Iraq †, International Action Center, New York City, New York, 22 November 2004. http://www.iacenter.org/wct_ghazwan.htm Al-Obaidi, Hisham and Toumia, Noor J., History of Iraq, 2004. 2 November 2004. http://www.geocities.com/iraq4everjo/history.htm Eating the Iraq Way, 22 November 2004. http://www.settlement.org/cp/english/iraq/eating.html Office of the Iraq Programme Oil-for-Food, Oil-for-Food, 4 November 2004. 9 December 2004. http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/background/index.html Railroads, Water Resources, Country Studies US, 9 December 2004. http://countrystudies.us 1 Railroads, Water Resources 2 Al-Obaidi, Hisham and Toumia, Noor J., History of Iraq 3 Al-Mukhtar, Ghazwan, â€Å"WTI testemony from Iraq: Baghdad, occupied Iraq † 4 Eating the Iraq Way 5 Railroads, Water Resources 6 Office of the Iraq Programme Oil-for-Food, Oil-for-Food