WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The civilization of Ancient Mesopotamia grew up along the banks of two great rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris. In the midst of a vast desert, the peoples of Mesopotamia relied upon these rivers to provide drinking water, agricultural irrigation, and major transportation routes.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Tigris-Euphrates river basin covers an area of some 35, 600 square kilometers, or 13, 700 square miles, and comprises the riparian countries of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. “Riparian” simply means that they are situated on the banks of the aforementioned rivers.

Detailed explanation-3: -Mesopotamia’s name comes from the ancient Greek word for “the land between the rivers.” That’s a reference to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the twin sources of water for a region that lies mostly within the borders of modern-day Iraq, but also included parts of Syria, Turkey and Iran.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Fertile Crescent: Mesopotamia, Sumer, and Ur. Mesopotamia literally means “(land) between rivers” in ancient Greek. The oldest known occurrence of the name Mesopotamia dates to the 4th century BC when it was used to designate the land east of the Euphrates in North Syria.

Detailed explanation-5: -The two rivers have their sources within 50 miles (80 km) of each other in eastern Turkey and travel southeast through northern Syria and Iraq to the head of the Persian Gulf.