Iraq is located in southwest Asia. It covers an area of 446,5438+08,390 square kilometers (including 924 square kilometers of water in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and 3,522 square kilometers in Iraq). It borders Turkey in the north, Iran in the east, Syria and Jordan in the west, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the south and the Persian Gulf in the southeast. The estuary is only located at the southeast end of a short coast at the top of the Persian Gulf. The coastline is 60 kilometers long. The width of the territorial sea is 12 nautical mile. The southwest is a part of the Arabian Plateau, which inclines to the beautiful eastern plain of Iraq. There are Kurdish mountains in the northeast, desert areas in the west, and Mesopotamia plain, which occupy most of the country. Between the plateau and the mountains, most of them are less than 100 meters above sea level. The Euphrates River and Tigris River run through the whole territory from northwest to southeast, and meet in Kurna to form Shatai Arabian River, which flows into the Persian Gulf. The southern plain is low-lying, with many lakes and swamps. East of the plain is the western edge of the zagros mountains system. The southwest is a part of the Arabian Plateau, with Syrian desert. The mountainous area in the northeast has a Mediterranean climate, while other areas have a tropical desert climate. Except for the heavy rainfall in Zagros Mountain, the climate in most parts of the country is dry. The highest temperature is above 50℃ in summer and around 0℃ in winter. The rainfall is relatively small, with an average annual rainfall of 100-500mm from south to north and 700mm in the northern mountainous area.
The territory is rich in crude oil and natural gas resources. By the end of 20 10, the estimated crude oil reserves are about 143 1 100 million barrels, second only to Saudi Arabia [1], ranking second in the world. The economy is dominated by oil industry, and agriculture and animal husbandry also occupy an important position. The main agricultural products are wheat, black rice, barley, rice, cotton, tobacco, temperate fruits and dates. Date palm production ranks first in the world.
Folk customs and humanities:
folk custom
Dietary characteristics
The eating habits of Iraqis have the following characteristics:
1, pay attention to fresh and tender dishes, rich flavor, high quality and small quantity.
2, the taste is generally light, preferring sweetness.
3, the staple food is noodles (scones) as the staple food, and loves to eat desserts.
4. Non-staple foods such as beef, mutton, fish, chicken and duck. I also like potatoes, beets, cabbages, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and other vegetables.
5, spices love to use sugar, pepper, onion, olive oil and so on.
6. How to make dishes like frying, roasting, frying and other cooking methods.
7. Chinese food loves authentic dishes from China.
8, menu assorted platter, fried eight pieces, hand-grabbed mutton, crispy chicken, shredded beef, fried yam, hanging roast duck, tomato steak, etc.
9. Drinks like to eat ice cream and drink black tea. They are all cooked in delicate pots and then added with sugar. Some people also like to drink beer.
10, fruits like to eat peaches, watermelons, honeydew melons, olives and bananas; Dried fruits like candied dates, almonds and raisins.
prescribe a diet
Like most Arab countries, the main food in Iraq is rice, and the most widely used recipe is fried rice. Of course, I also like to eat white bread. Every household in Iraq will pickle a large jar of olives and chew a few before each meal.
Iraqis don't like green vegetables very much. The most common are cucumbers and tomatoes, which are usually chopped and eaten raw with olive oil and lemon juice. Sometimes you can bake vegetables a little. It is customary to mix jujube juice with milk and goat's milk as a delicious dish. Many traditional dishes are very close to Syrian and Lebanese dishes, such as roast sheep, kebabs and some fried meat cooked in the stove. Iraqi food is very strong, with a lot of peppers, onions, garlic and various horseradish and spices. It is quite common to eat pasta such as sweets and fruit pies, as well as yogurt, yogurt residue and cheese. Iraqis don't eat concentrated dishes and rarely drink alcoholic beverages. It is more common to drink yogurt with a lot of foam and various fruit juice drinks, such as almond juice.
Gus: A pan-Arabic food in which rice is fried in oil, stewed and mixed with many seasonings. Some sprinkle ground rice flour, beans, raisins or dried fruits on the rice, then add a large piece of roast mutton or roast chicken to the rice, and give you two bowls of thick soup before serving. It's delicious.
Grilled fish: The fish in Tigris River are very fat. Not too fat, 1 kg to 67 kg, scary. There seems to be only one way for Iraqis to eat fish, "Masguff", which is the Arabic name for grilled fish. It's a pity that all the people who come to Iraq have never eaten this kind of grilled fish. The fish in the Tigris River are big and fat, and they are most suitable for grilled fish. Iraqis generally like to use local materials. After washing the fish, they don't have to scrape the scales. They put some wooden stakes on the ground with strong branches, hung the whole fish, and then made a fire with wooden blocks or dry branches cut from date palms. Let the fish roast in hot air. When it's almost done, put the fish in an iron plate, then put the whole plate in the embers of the fire, reheat it, pour in the sauce, and add tomatoes and tomatoes.
Dolmai: Blanch fresh grape leaves in boiling water, wrap them with cooked rice and meat stuffing, make them into rectangles and circles, add lemon juice and spices, and bake them in the oven for a while. Some people use zucchini, green pepper and eggplant to make it, such as hollowing out zucchini and stuffing it with materials. Some locals will do this very sourly. It is said that there is also Dolmai in Iran.
Kuba: Steam the rice, mash it, wrap it with meat, and then fry it in oil until it is golden yellow, round or oval. This is a very common family food in Iraq. It is said that Kuba is from Syria.
Black tea: Iraqis like to drink black tea with a special small glass teacup called Ashtar. It is said that black tea comes from Turkey, because Iraq was ruled by the Ottoman Turkish Empire for quite a long time. Iraqis especially like to add a lot of sugar to black tea. When some people drink tea, they will put half a cup of sugar in a cup of tea, which will make their throats ache.
Hookah: "Nalakiri", the traditional hookah that Arab men like to smoke after meals. You can see hookahs in the streets and alleys. Most men like to sit quietly and smoke thoughtfully, so it is always quiet in the Arab hookah.
Date: "God's Gift to Iraq", and everyone in Iraq is deeply proud of it. 80% of the date palm trees in the world are in Iraq. Date palm trees are everywhere in Iraq. In the suburbs of Baghdad, the scenery of date palm trees is unmatched by any other country. Every time the dates are ripe, you can see a large cluster of ripe dates rotting on the ground, because there are too many dates, and only ants patronize their rich sugar. But now thanks to the date palm tree, it has helped many poor Iraqis live a hard life of sanctions.
Arabian cake: It is one of the staple foods of Iraqis, similar to beef tongue cake in China. When eating, tear it into small pieces by hand and eat it with beef, mutton or tomatoes and raw cucumbers. No matter what you order, people will give you some cucumbers and tomatoes first, and then some big cakes, all of which are free. There is also a staple food called "Smna", a big bread in the shape of the Yangtze River Delta. Iraqis generally like to buy this kind of bread to go home, and it is very cheap.
Kababa: Pan-Arabic kebabs, but unlike China kebabs, they like to chop up the meat, roast it with a little flour and seasoning, and don't eat it directly after roasting. They like to wrap it in a big cake and eat it. Sometimes they like to bake onions, tomatoes and meat together.
Dietary customs
Generally speaking, there are no knives, forks, spoons and other utensils on the Iraqi dining table, only cups and plates. They are used to catching rice with their right hand. They are used to eating well-done dishes, and don't eat them if they are a little raw. Unlike other Arab countries, you can buy alcoholic drinks in Iraq. Shiite Muslims in southern Iraq don't eat rabbit meat. Iraqis are afraid to pass things or food with their left hand. They regard their left hand as a dirty hand, and think that handing things or food with dirty hands is actually an insult. They are afraid that guests will not leave in time without washing their hands after eating, and think that the delay or delay in leaving the hotel is a sign of overeating and impoliteness.
Social taboo
The life of Iraqi Muslims has inherited the religious tradition of Islam, but they are far more civilized than the neighboring Arab Muslim wedding forest countries. Women wearing veils are rare in Iraq, and the country has gradually implemented some open policies, leading to the coexistence of modernization and religion. They are always used to being late for appointments, and they think it is a courtesy. Iraqi men have the custom of "bearding is beautiful", and all adult men wear a bun. Iraqis prefer roses and regard them as national flowers. They like eagles best. The eagle is regarded as a symbol of strength and wisdom. When Iraqis meet relatives and friends, men are used to hugging each other, sticking their faces together and then bowing their heads to make a wish. When they say goodbye to their guests, they usually kiss their faces. When women kiss face to face, their feelings are extremely rich. They "kissed" sincerely and warmly, and they want to make a "bar" kiss. They think that such a "kiss" shows mutual respect and love. They hate blue and think it is the color of the devil. They are afraid of black and think that black is the color of funeral, which gives people an unfortunate impression. They are afraid of the stars in the gifts given to them by others, because they have a deep hatred for Israel, and the national flag of Israel has a star pattern.