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R ELIGION , P OLITICS , AND THE E CONOMY

tion—just as they have been since the time of the Sumerians. This dependence on irrigation in the central region makes Turkish and Syrian water projects on the Euphrates River a very serious issue to the people of Iraq. Another serious issue affecting agriculture in Iraq is salinity . The high water table in Iraq, the land’s poor drainage, and the high rate of evaporation caused by the region’s high temperatures cause salt to build up near the surface of the ground. The increas- ing salt level gradually makes it impossible to grow crops, turning the land into desert. Today, salinity affects almost two-thirds of Iraq, and it has caused once-productive land to be abandoned. In recent years, projects have been started to reclaim this land and make it useful again. However, this is a long, difficult process that requires consistent effort. The major farm crops of Iraq include barley and wheat, which are grown during the winter, and cotton, potatoes, and millet, which are grown in the summer. Other summer crops include sorghum and tobacco. Dates and rice grow in the irrigated areas of the central plains along the rivers and canals.

Text-Dependent Questions

1. What is the largest Muslim sect in Iraq, Sunni or Shiite? 2. What Kurdish politician became president of Iraq in August 2014? 3. What natural resource is the most important part of Iraq’s economy?

Research Project

To understand the importance of desalinization, watch this short video on the process at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XMRlFMJB-g