On a wide strip of Arabian Peninsula between the deep rivers the Tiger and Euphrates some of the human civilizations, most ancient in the world, arose. It is the Mesopotamic lowland which territory occupy Iraq, Iran, Kuvey and Syria today.
Mesopotamic lowland
Arabian Peninsula is famous not only the world's largest sizes, but also a combination of conditions for development of a civilization, unique in ancient times. Between the extensive plateau stretching on the most part of the peninsula and foothill areas of Tavrsky mountains and Zagros mountains located already beyond its limits to the northeast, beds of two large rivers – the Tiger and Euphrates lie. The first originates in the mountains of Turkey and proceeds on diagonal from the northwest on the southeast, flowing into the Persian Gulf. Euphrates begins in the Armenian Highlands and flows approximately also, with more expressed bend. Between two of these rivers there is a fertile lowland – a huge oasis in the middle of the Middle Eastern desert. It is called the Mesopotamic by name most ancient civilization in the world which existed here in the sixth millennium B.C.
This area since ancient times was called Mesopotamia or Entre Rios – so with Ancient Greek Mesopotamia is translated.
The lowland between the rivers stretches for 900 kilometers, width it in the widest place is about 300 kilometers. A relief of this area non-uniform thanks to deposits of the Tiger, Euphrates and other rivers – their inflows.
It is impossible to call this lowland very low: in some places its height above sea level reaches 100 meters.
In a northern part of the Mesopotamic lowland the subtropical climate, in the south – tropical dominates. The most part of the territory is desert, covered with saline soils, lakes, swamps and sandy dunes. In some areas very high temperatures are observed in the summer. And only along the rivers, reed thickets and the woods last.
Civilization of Mesopotamia
The civilizations similar Mesopotamic, scientists call river. They developed thanks to a number of favorable environmental conditions which include existence of the wide rivers which are seasonally spreading on large territories. On fields as a result of such floods there is a large amount of silt which increases productivity. But the desert earth and droughty climate demanded from people of adaptation to such conditions: it was necessary to invent irrigational technologies which allowed to develop further. As a result agriculture which caused also other areas of human activity developed. Gradually people learned to extract minerals, and the lowland it was very rich: sulfur, rock salt, gas, oil are stored in its subsoil. If in the Mesopotamic lowland there were no rivers the Tiger and Euphrates, development of humanity could go some other way.