Euphrates: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:53, 6 March 2005

Revision as of 16:00, 11 March 2005

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==Course of the Euphrates==

The river is approximately 2,780 km (1,700 miles) long. It is formed by the union of two branches, the [[Karasu River|Kara]] (the western Euphrates), which rises in the highlands of eastern Turkey north of [[ErzerumErzurum]] and the [[Murat River|Murat]] (the eastern Euphrates), which issues from [[Lake Van]]. The upper reaches of the Euphrates flow through steep canyons and gorges then southwest across [[Syria]] and then through [[Iraq]]. The [[Khabur River|Khabur]] and the [[Balikh River]] join the Euphrates in eastern Syria. They both have their origins in Turkey. Downstream, through its whole length, the Euphrates receives no further water flow. North of [[Basra]], in southern Iraq, the river merges with the Tigris to form the [[Shatt al-Arab]], which in turn empties into the [[Persian Gulf]].

The river used to divide into many channels at Basra, forming an extensive marshland, but the marshes were largely drained by the [[Saddam Hussein]] government in the [[1990s]] as a means of driving out the rebellious [[Marsh Arabs]]. Since the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], the drainage policy has been reversed, but it remains to be seen whether the marshes will recover.