Euphrates << yoo FRAY teez >> River is the longest river in southwestern Asia. It is about 1,700 miles (2,736 kilometers) long and forms part of the historic Tigris-Euphrates river system.
The Euphrates rises in a mountainous area of eastern Turkey and flows southwest through the country into Syria. In Syria, it turns southeast and gradually descends until it reaches low, flat land. After leaving Syria, the Euphrates cuts across Iraq. At the town of Al Qurnah, Iraq, it joins the Tigris, forming a river called the Shatt al Arab, which flows into the Persian Gulf.
The area near and between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq has the country’s most fertile soil. Most of Iraq’s people live there. Large ships cannot navigate the Euphrates because of its shallow waters and shifting sandbars. The river serves chiefly as a source of irrigation water and hydroelectric power. In some places, water wheels have been used since ancient times to lift water from the Euphrates onto adjoining land. Also, canals along the river drain water from it to irrigate crops. Dams store water that is used to generate hydroelectric power for Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
The world’s first civilization developed in the region around the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. This advanced culture arose in Sumer about 3500 B.C. Babylonia and other early civilizations also thrived in this region. The ruins of the famous ancient city of Babylon lie along the Euphrates.
