Iraq–Jordan border

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Map of the Iraq-Jordan, depicting both the 1932 (thin line) and 1984 (thick) borders

The IraqJordan border is 179 km (111 mi) in length and runs from the tripoint with Syria in the north to the tripoint with Saudi Arabia in the south.[1]

Description

The border starts in the north at the Syrian tripoint and proceeds southwards via a series of six straight lines, down to the tripoint with Saudi Arabia. Iraq's Ruwayshid Air Base lies immediately adjacent to the border.

History

At the start of the 20th century the

Vilayet of Syria (roughly, modern western Jordan). This latter area was contested between Britain, the newly formed Arab Kingdom of Syria, Zionists in the Mandatory Palestine, and Ibn Saud's new kingdom Saudi Arabia, resulting in a confused period in which the region was essentially an ungoverned space.[4] Eventually in 1921 Britain declared a mandate over the region, creating the Emirate of Transjordan, under the semi-autonomous rule of King Abdullah I.[5][6]

Map of the pre-1984 Iraq-Jordan border

No precise boundary between the Iraq and Transjordan mandates was drawn at that time.[3] The location of the Eastern border between Transjordan and Iraq was considered strategic with respect to the proposed construction of what became the

T.E.Lawrence in January 1922 that Transjordan be extended to include Wadi Sirhan as far south as al-Jauf, in order to protect Britain's route to India and contain Ibn Saud.[9]

Iraq and Jordan's northern frontier with the French

Mandate of Syria was fixed during the period 1920-23 by the Paulet–Newcombe Agreement.[3] Eventually an Iraq–Jordan border consisting of a single straight line was agreed upon by an exchange of notes between British and King Abdullah in July–August 1932.[3]

The 1932 border was revised in 1984, creating the modern frontier which consists of six straight lines.[10]

Border Crossings

A US marine on the Karameh border crossing

See also

  • Iraq-Jordan relations

References

  1. ^ CIA World Factbook – Iraq, retrieved 1 April 2020
  2. Madawi Al-Rasheed
    . A History of Saudi Arabia. Cambridge, England, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Pp. 40.
  3. ^ a b c d International Boundary Study No. 98 – Iraq-Jordan Boundary (PDF), 15 April 1970, archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2019, retrieved 2 April 2020
  4. from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  5. ^ Browne, O'Brien (10 August 2010). "Creating Chaos: Lawrence of Arabia and the 1916 Arab Revolt". HistoryNet, LLC. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  6. ^ League of Nations Official Journal, Nov. 1922, pp. 1188–1189, 1390–1391.
  7. ^ Wilson 1990, p. 100.
  8. ^ a b Amadouny 2012, pp. 132–133.
  9. ^ Amadouny 2012, pp. 132–133, Amadouny cites Lawrence, 'Transjordan-Extension of Territory', 5 January 1922, CO 733 33.
  10. ^ "Cambridge Archive Editions - Arabian Boundary Disputes". Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2020.

Sources