The Euphrates River is one of the longest and most significant rivers in Western Asia. This river measures 2,740 kilometers or 1,740 miles in length. The confluence of the Kara River and the Murad River created this river.
This river’s most important tributary is the Khabur River originates in southeast Turkey. Mesopotamia refers to the region around the Euphrates River. Let’s learn some cool Euphrates river facts for kids.
Euphrates River Facts 1-10
1. There are more than fifty species of fish in the Euphrates River.
2. The majority of the river’s water comes from snowmelt and precipitation.
3. This region’s climate is generally subtropical, hot, and dry. The river’s drainage basin encompasses approximately 193,000 square miles.
4. During the months of April and May, the river’s water flow is high.
5. This river was a portion of the “Silk Road,” a commercial route that through Central Asia and Mesopotamia.
6. The river valley was inhabited by wild boars, gray wolves, golden jackals, red foxes, leopards, and lions.
7. In antiquity, this valley was intensively watered, and its banks were bordered by numerous famous ancient cities.
8. This river is one of the two rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Tigris.
9. It was known to the ancient Sumerians as Id-Ugina and to the Babylonians and Assyrians as Purattu.
10. It is the longest river in Western Asia.
Euphrates River Facts 11-20
11. It runs from its source in eastern Turkey to the Persian Gulf. It crosses through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.
12. Along the banks of the Euphrates, numerous civilizations have flourished, notably throughout ancient times.
One of the most significant civilizations was the Mesopotamian Empire.
13. Ancient Mesopotamia, a section of what is commonly referred to as the “Fertile Crescent,” occupied the territory between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates.
Today, this region of the globe is located in the nation of Iraq.
14. In antiquity, the Euphrates was frequently utilized as a border between numerous kingdoms and the site of conflicts.
15. Aleppo, the largest city in Syria, one of the oldest cities in the world, and a frequent topic of 21st-century news due to its tragedies during the country’s civil war, still obtains a portion of its drinking water from the Euphrates and its neighboring lakes.
16. Babylon, one of the most prominent cities of the ancient world, was constructed along the Euphrates. According to reports, so was its Tower of Babel.
17. The Euphrates softshell turtle (Rafetus euphraticus), a semiaquatic species that favors the comparatively calm tributaries of larger rivers, resides in the Euphrates watershed (among other places). It is now endangered due to river dams.
18. Along the Euphrates, numerous significant dams have been constructed within the last century or so. The Euphrates Dam is over 200 feet tall and has an enormous reservoir.
19. In the twenty-first century, dams along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers have become weapons of war (and prizes of conquest).
20. The Euphrates is mentioned in the Garden of Eden tale in the Bible. In the Old Testament, the Euphrates is one of the four Rivers of Paradise, which signify the four quarters of the known and inhabited earth.