Iraq to Afghanistan

Iraq and Afghanistan are they the same?
      Since the beginning of civilization, Iraq and Afghanistan are two countries that have been entrenched in battle with foreign invaders. Currently, both countries continue to clash with “foreign trespassers”.   With the media broadcasting violent affects of Islamic extremist and both countries engaged in a war on terror, one would presume that the differences between these countries were immeasurable.   However Iraq and Afghanistan, have more in common than one would believe.   This essay presents a brief overview of the country’s history, religion, ethnicities, geography and climate.
      In 1920 during the course of World War I, Iraq was formerly part of the Ottoman Empire that was once occupied by the Great Britain Empire.   Under the United Kingdom administration, Iraq was eventually declared a League of Nations.   Today, Iraq is an Islamic Republic with Muslims of both Sunni and Shia sects making up the country’s religious demographics with a Shia making 60% of the population and Sunnis comprising 40%.   Iraq's two largest ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds and distinct groups include the Turcoman, Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Armenians. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim but differ from their Arab neighbors in language and customs. Multiple languages are spoken in Iraq, with Arabic the most commonly spoken language. Kurdish is spoken in the north, and English is the most commonly spoken Western language. Iraq is a large country; it is comparative in size to California. Iraq’s terrain is made up of gently sloping plains, mountains, and desert. The Iraqi climate is mostly hot and dry. Almost 75% of Iraq's population lives in the flat, gently rolling plains stretching southeast from Baghdad and Basrah to the Persian Gulf. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers carry about 70 million cubic meters of silt annually to the delta. Known in ancient times as Mesopotamia, the region is the legendary locale of the Garden of Eden. Additionally,...