The '''Shatt al-Arab''' ('River of the Arabs') is a waterway formed by the [[confluence]] of the [[Tigris]] and [[Euphrates]] rivers in southern [[Iraq]]; the Shatt then flows into the [[Persian Gulf]] at the port of Al-Faw. Although short in length (120 miles), the Shatt al-Arab is of immense economic and strategic significance. It flows past the city of [[Basra]], and forms part of the border between [[Iraq]] and [[Iran]]. A dispute over the precise riverine boundary between the two nations was the spark for the [[Iran-Iraq War]] of 1980-88, and much of the fighting was aimed at control over the waterway. | The '''Shatt al-Arab''' ('River of the Arabs') is a waterway formed by the [[confluence]] of the [[Tigris]] and [[Euphrates]] rivers in southern [[Iraq]]; the Shatt then flows into the [[Persian Gulf]] at the port of Al-Faw. Although short in length (120 miles), the Shatt al-Arab is of immense economic and strategic significance. It flows past the city of [[Basra]], and forms part of the border between [[Iraq]] and [[Iran]]. A dispute over the precise riverine boundary between the two nations was the spark for the [[Iran-Iraq War]] of 1980-88, and much of the fighting was aimed at control over the waterway. |