Hawizeh Marshes

1994 Map of The Mesopotamian Marshes with draining features. Click to expand.

The Hawizeh Marshes are a complex of marshes that straddle the Iraq and Iran border. The marshes are fed by two branches of the Tigris River (the Al-Musharrah and Al-Kahla) in Iraq and Karkheh River in Iran. The Hawizeh marsh is critical to the survival of the Central and Hammar marshes, which also make up the Mesopotamian Marshes, because they are a refuge for species that may recolonize or reproduce into the other marshlands. The Hawizeh Marshes are drained by the Al-Kassarah. This river plays a critical role in maintaining the marshes as a flow-through system and preventing it from becoming a closed saline basin.

See Also

• Mesopotamian Marshes
• Tigris–Euphrates river system
• Marsh Arabs

References

External source

• Management Plan for the Hawizeh Marsh Ramsar Site of Iraq, Second Draft Volume 1: Background, Vision, Principles and Annexes, A Report Prepared for the Iraq National Marshes and Wetlands Committee, December 2008 (Accessed June 2011)

31°32′32″N 47°42′24″E / 31.54222°N 47.70667°E / 31.54222; 47.70667Coordinates: 31°32′32″N 47°42′24″E / 31.54222°N 47.70667°E / 31.54222; 47.70667