Iraq vs. Iran
Geography
| Iraq | Iran | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan |
| Geographic coordinates | 33 00 N, 44 00 E | 32 00 N, 53 00 E |
| Map references | Middle East | Middle East |
| Area | total: 438,317 sq km land: 437,367 sq km water: 950 sq km | total: 1,648,195 sq km land: 1,531,595 sq km water: 116,600 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly more than three times the size of New York state | almost 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska |
| Land boundaries | total: 3,809 km border countries (6): Iran 1599 km, Jordan 179 km, Kuwait 254 km, Saudi Arabia 811 km, Syria 599 km, Turkey 367 km | total: 5,894 km border countries (7): Afghanistan 921 km, Armenia 44 km, Azerbaijan 689 km, Iraq 1599 km, Pakistan 959 km, Turkey 534 km, Turkmenistan 1148 km |
| Coastline | 58 km | 2,440 km - note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: not specified | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf continental shelf: natural prolongation |
| Climate | mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq | mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast |
| Terrain | mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey | rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Cheekha Dar (Kurdish for "Black Tent") 3,611 m lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m mean elevation: 312 m | highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,625 m lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m mean elevation: 1,305 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur | petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur |
| Land use | agricultural land: 18.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 8.4% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 9.2% (2018 est.) forest: 1.9% (2018 est.) other: 80% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 30.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 10.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 18.1% (2018 est.) forest: 6.8% (2018 est.) other: 63.1% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 35,250 sq km (2012) | 95,530 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | dust storms; sandstorms; floods | periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes |
| Environment - current issues | government water control projects drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification; military and industrial infrastructure has released heavy metals and other hazardous substances into the air, soil, and groundwater; major sources of environmental damage are effluents from oil refineries, factory and sewage discharges into rivers, fertilizer and chemical contamination of the soil, and industrial air pollution in urban areas | air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Environmental Modification | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography - note | strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf | strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport |
| Total renewable water resources | 89.86 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 137.045 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited | population is concentrated in the north, northwest, and west, reflecting the position of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the vast dry areas in the center and eastern parts of the country, around the deserts of the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, have a much lower population density |
Source: CIA Factbook
