Technology and Climate in Iraq Essay -- Iraq Environment Technological

Technology and Climate in Iraq Since civilization was born in ancient Mesopotamia thousands of years ago, technology has been a driving factor in the growth and progress of the peoples of this region. Many of the new and changing technologies have been closely connected to the weather and climate of this unique part of the world. In my opinion, the three most important technological developments for Mesopotamia and Iraq over time have been irrigation, shelter and architecture, and the use of oil. Before we can make these connections between technology and the climate of Iraq, we must look at what makes this climate unique from others around the world. Iraq’s climate is classified as sub-desert and this gives the region two distinct seasons. First, the summers (May-October) in Iraq are hot, with temperatures often exceeding 120 ° F.1 Another important characteristic of the sub-desert summers is the lack of rainfall, since summer precipitation rarely climbs above one inch. On the contrary, the winter season normally has up to 10 inches of rainfall and milder, often cold temperatures. Those 10 inches of rain come in strong storms that can often lead to floods since the land is not prepared for large amounts of precipitation.2 Winter temperatures sometimes even drop to around freezing and frosts are not uncommon. Both of these distinct seasons have caused technological developments over the past 7000 years. As I wrote in my think piece, Mesopotamia is considered to be the birthplace of civilization and this development was fueled by technology. The invention of irrigation techniques around 5000 BC in the region between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers was the foundation for the development of the first towns and cities. Irrig... ...s: Monroe, ME. â€Å"Fossils into Fuel† http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/chemistry/fossils/p3.html Lamb, H.H. (1995) Climate, History, and the Modern World. Routledge Press: New York, NY Pollock, Susan. (1999) Ancient Mesopotamia. Cambridge University Press: New York, NY Roux, Georges. (1985). Ancient Iraq. Penguin Books: New York, NY â€Å"The Architecture of Irak: The Lost Art of Clay Construction† http://www.brainworker.ch/Irak/architecture.htm â€Å"The Iraqi Republic† http://i-cias.com/e.o/iraq.htm â€Å"Transportation in Iraq† http://united-states.asinah.net/american-encyclopedia/wikipedia/t/tr/transportation_in_iraq.html 1 Pollock, Susan Ancient Mesopotamia 2 Roux, Georges Ancient Iraq 3 Pollock 4 Lamb, H.H. Climate, History, and the Modern World 5 â€Å"The Architecture of Irak† 6 Everest, Larry Oil, Power, and Empire 7 â€Å"Fossils into Fuel†