Chapter 3.1 “Geography of Mesopotamia” “Land Between Two Rivers” –section 1 The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers start in the mountains of Turkey and flow through Iraq into the Persian Gulf This region is known as the Mesopotamia It is mostly flat with small, scrubby plants Rivers provide water and help with traveling Rivers overflowed onto the floodplains and deposited silt Silt was fertile The semiarid climate was hot and fairly dry

“Controlling Water by Irrigation“–section 2 Farming was difficult in the Mesopotamia Yearly flood was unpredictable (April – June) Farmers needed to plant after the flood Floods depended on the amount of snowmelt and rainfall Droughts were a constant danger Crops failed and people starved They built canals to carry water from rivers to fields They built dams to hold back excess water

“Finding Resources” – section 3 Mesopotamia had no forests It lacked stone, metal, and other minerals They used mud for bricks & plaster Few mountains & natural barriers made it easy to invade Built mud walls for protection They traded a surplus of crops for wood, stone, & metals