| Shatt al Arab, river
in southwest Asia, serving, for about the
second half of its course, as a boundary
between Iraq and Iran. The waterway is 193 km (120 mi)
long, and flows from the confluence of
the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq
to the head of the Persian Gulf near
Kuwait. The Kārūn River, which
originates in Iran, is its major
tributary.
The area surrounding
the Shatt al Arab consists largely of
alluvial lands and swamps. Sediment from
the river's tributaries is deposited at
its mouth in the Persian Gulf.
Over time, these
deposits have extended the Shatt al Arab
delta and caused the gulf to recede. As a
result, the Iranian city of Ābādān,
though on the Persian Gulf 1000 years
ago, now lies about 50 km (about 30 mi)
inland, on an island in the Shatt al
Arab.
Besides Ābādān,
major ports on the river include Al Baŗrah
in Iraq and Khorramshahr in Iran. Oil is
produced, stored, and shipped from the Al-Basrah and Ābādān areas, and large
quantities of dates are produced along
the banks of the Shatt al Arab.
The Shatt al Arab is a
vital strategic waterway, as it
constitutes Iraq's only access to the sea
and provides a transportation corridor
for oil exports and commodity imports for
both Iran and Iraq.
Due to its economic and
strategic significance, control of the
river has long been contested. The
earliest documented dispute dates to the
Treaty of Zohab of 1639. This treaty was
intended to establish a boundary-partly
at the river-between Persia (now Iran)
and the Ottoman Empire (including what is
now Iraq). The language of the treaty was
vague, however, and conflict over the
Shatt al Arab persisted through a number
of subsequent agreements.
Outside powers became
involved in the issue during the 19th
century, with Russia backing Persian
claims to the eastern bank of the river,
and Britain supporting Ottoman claims to
control of both banks. The Second Treaty
of Erzurum, signed in 1847, generally
confirmed the Russo-Persian position, but
again the language was so vague that the
Ottomans claimed ownership of the entire
Shatt al Arab, while ceding navigation
rights to the Persians.
Under agreements signed
just prior to World War I (1914-1918) the
boundary remained on the river's eastern
bank except around Khorramshahr and Ābādān,
where it shifted to the middle point of
the river. Disputes since that time,
ranging from encroachment to blockades,
have accompanied a regular process of
treaty negotiation and annulment. The
increase in regional oil production in
the 1960s and 1970s served to intensify
the conflict, and control of the Shatt al
Arab was one of the causes of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988).
The river became a
battlefield, and both sides were forced
to divert oil to other ports for loading.
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