The Tigris and Euphrates are the largest rivers in Iraq, crossing the entire country. They are given one of the leading roles in the country's economy.
Big Zab River
Big Zab is a river that crosses the lands of Turkey (the eastern part of the country) and Iraq. The total length of the current is equal to four hundred and seventy-three kilometers with a catchment area of twenty-six thousand square meters.
The source of the river is located on the slopes of the Kotur ridge (its western spurs, at an altitude of three thousand meters). Then Big Zab descends to the Kurdistan Plain.
The river receives water from numerous tributaries. In addition, it is actively replenished by rain and melted snow, which has a strong effect on the average water level in the Big Zaba. The period of high water falls in the period April-May, and the low-water period is in the summer and autumn months.
Diyala river
Diyala flows through the territories of Iraq and is one of the tributaries of the Tigris, flowing into it a little south of Baghdad. The total length of the river bed is two hundred and thirty-one kilometers with a catchment area of thirty thousand square kilometers.
Diyala is formed by the confluence of two rivers - Sirvan and Elvend (height relative to sea level - one hundred and thirteen meters). The river is navigable.
Small Zab River
The channel of the Small Zab passes through the lands of two countries - Iran and Iraq, being the left tributary of the Tigris. The total length of the current reaches four hundred and fifty-six kilometers with a catchment area of nineteen thousand four hundred square kilometers.
Small Zab is formed by the confluence of the Chomme-Bendinabad and Avazheru waters. The source is located on the slopes of the Kurdistan Region (its eastern part). The upper reaches of the river are characterized by a typical mountainous character. After the Small Zab descends from the mountains to the flat terrain, the current becomes calmer. The waters of the river are used by local people for irrigation.
River Shatt al-Arab (Arvandur)
"Arabian Coast" - the literal translation of the name of the river - passes through the lands of Iraq and Iran. The river is formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and the Tigris near the city of Al-Qurna (Iraqi territory).
The total length of the current is one hundred and ninety-five kilometers with a total catchment area (including also the basins of the rivers that formed it) of one million square kilometers.
The main direction of the current is southeast. Initially, the channel goes only through the territory of Iraq, but after the Shatt al-Arab passes the city of Abu, it becomes the border dividing the lands of Iraq and Iran. The mouth of the river is the water area of the Persian Gulf (Iraq, the city of El-Kishla).
