The fertile Crecent. Mesopotamia

The Fertile Crescent: You may read on the web that ancient Mesopotamia is nicknamed "The Fertile Crescent". It is true that ancient Mesopotamia is located inside the geographic region referred to as The Fertile Crescent. Today, The Fertile Crescent includes the countries of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, Palestine, Kuwait, the Sinai Peninsula, and Northern Mesopotamia. It is a big place.
A place where you con see one map of Mesopotamia.

The Land Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia was located in a piece of The Fertile Crescent, in what is now southern Iraq. It covered an area about 300 miles long and about 150 miles wide. The word Mesopotamia actually means (in Greek) “the land between the rivers.” The two rivers referred to by the ancient Greeks are the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers.

Why would anyone wish to build a civilization in the middle of the desert in what is now lower Iraq? Because it was a great place to live!

In Northern Mesopotamia, the land is fertile. There is seasonal rain. The rivers and streams are fed from the hills and mountains of the region.

In Southern Mesopotamia, the land is mostly flat and barren. Temperatures can rise over 110 degrees Fahrenheit. There is very little rainfall. Storms do blow in from the Persian Gulf, which cools things off. The area does have slight seasons. It can get quite cool at certain times of the year.

Many thousands of years ago, early settlers wandered into the land between two rivers. Natural vegetation and wildlife kept the people well fed. The rivers provided fresh drinking water, and a place to bathe. These early people settled down, invented a system of irrigation, and began to farm the land ( link with ).

What do you think about the land between two rivers?

How is the mesopotamian geography?

What is the reason to use this land in their settlement?