Umm Qasr
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2014) |
Umm Qasr
أم قصر Um-qasir, Um-qasser | |
---|---|
UTC+4 |
Umm Qasr (
History
Village to port
Umm Qasr was originally a small
After the
Iran–Iraq War
During the
Gulf War
Access to the port was part of the territorial dispute with
U.S.-led invasion
Umm Qasr was the target of one of the
During a debate in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in late March 2003, British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon somewhat inadvisedly compared Umm Qasr to the southern English city of Southampton. The analogy was met with scepticism among the troops. A British soldier was widely quoted as retorting, "There's no beer, no prostitutes and people are shooting at us. It's more like Portsmouth".[11] In January 2006, the 100th British soldier died in Iraq. Corporal Gordon Pritchard, was killed in a bomb explosion in the town.[12] An American Air Force enlistee, Derek Mohamed Adas, described his war-time experience at Camp Bucca and the poverty of the surrounding area in his interview with the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project in 2013.[13]
Geography
Climate
In Umm Qasr, there is a desert climate. In winter there is more rainfall than in summer. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is BWh. The average annual temperature in Umm Qasr is 25.0 °C (77.0 °F). About 133 mm (5.24 in) of precipitation falls annually.
Climate data for Umm Qasr | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 18.0 (64.4) |
20.2 (68.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
37.6 (99.7) |
41.9 (107.4) |
43.9 (111.0) |
44.1 (111.4) |
41.5 (106.7) |
35.4 (95.7) |
26.4 (79.5) |
19.5 (67.1) |
32.1 (89.8) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) |
8.4 (47.1) |
12.7 (54.9) |
17.9 (64.2) |
23.2 (73.8) |
26.2 (79.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
27.1 (80.8) |
23.4 (74.1) |
18.7 (65.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
8.4 (47.1) |
17.9 (64.2) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 25 (1.0) |
16 (0.6) |
16 (0.6) |
17 (0.7) |
4 (0.2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (0.1) |
23 (0.9) |
29 (1.1) |
133 (5.2) |
Source: climate-data |
Today
Town
Population estimates are around 46,000 people living in Umm Qasr town at the outbreak of the 2003 war. Having grown from a tiny fishing village in 1958, the town is laid out in planned housing tracts, with workers living near the previously state-owned industries which employed them. Almost the entire population were relocated from other parts of Iraq to work in state-run industries. The port (and its workforce) were dramatically expanded following the first Gulf War, in part to remove vital functions from Basra, scene of a major anti-government uprising. A mapping project shortly thereafter stated "In total, the town is composed of 82 streets; each street has 72 houses. Up to three to four families live in each house." It then described three main neighborhoods:[14]
- North Indian Camp (Hindi Court) in the north, with 6,600 people and 37 streets
- South Indian Camp to the west of town, mostly to house port workers.
- Port/Customs Office with housing and offices for the Iraqi Ministry of Industry; housing for workers in the pipe, steel, and cement factories.
Public services
Prior to the 2003 war, Umm Qasr had 13 primary schools (four for boys, four for girls, and five coeducational), two intermediate schools for boys, and five secondary schools (two for boys, one night school for boys, and two for girls). There was a single hospital for the town.[15]
Today, the population of Umm Qasr communities is around 55,000 people. There are shortages in the higher education services in the city, and most of the students are traveling to Basra's one public university about 57 km, or to the Technical Institute in Al-Zubair region. However, the city has also had many of its people migrate to the European Union, Canada and Australia. The town has a multicultural community, and the borders with neighboring country Kuwait and sea borders has offered people more understanding of the port city's lifestyle.
Sports
Football is the most popular sport among the youth in Umm Qasr. There are many local teams, but the greatest public support is for the Port Culp team in the mother port of Maqel in downtown Basrah. Some of the youth are involved in swimming in the gulf water; also, some people are focusing on the running sports. Female participation in sports is limited in the public schools.
Rail line
A branch of the main Iraqi Republic Railways line connects Umm Qasr to Basra from Shouaiba Junction (near Basra) via the port of Khawr az-Zubayr.
Airport
Umm Qasr has a civil aviation airport, with the ICAO Code of ORUQ.
Buildings and structures
At Umm Qasr, there is a 492-metre-tall (1614 ft) broadcasting mast at 30°3′34.37″N 47°53′14.52″E / 30.0595472°N 47.8873667°E.
See also
- Al-Faw
- List of places in Iraq
- List of United Kingdom Military installations used during Operation Telic
References
- ^ Population of the city Umm Qasr
- ISBN 0-7867-1269-4.
- ^ Action Dominic Nutt, Churches Together International (ACT). Lack of security hampers aid efforts. April 16, 2003.
- ^ "Iraq Hopes For Revival As An International Highway", The Times, 15 May 1961
- ^ "General Kassim Founds £15M. Port", The Times, 27 March 1961
- ^ Ports of the World 1969, p. 697. Shipping World Ltd
- ^ "Iraq - First Persian Gulf War - Causes", Encyclopædia Britannica (2006)
- ^ "Kuwait - The First Persian Gulf War and its aftermath", Encyclopædia Britannica (2006)
- ^ "Fierce battle around port," The Guardian, 24 March 2003
- ^ "Iraq aid confined to south", The Guardian, 2 April 2003
- New York Times.
- ^ "Latest victim was one of the first liberators of Iraq", The Times, 1 February 2006
- ^ Derek Mohamed Adas, interview, Library of Congress' Veterans History Project, http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.65421
- ^ USAID: DART Assessment of Umm Qasr and Relief Efforts, April 7, 2003 Archived 2007-08-15 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ USAID. DART Assessment of Umm Qasr and Relief Efforts. April 4, 2003 Archived 2007-08-15 at the Wayback Machine.
- The Sunday Times April 6, 2003 Colonel Cox has a whole town to build. The commando ‘mayor of Umm Qasr’ is starting from scratch, he tells Christina Lamb.
- United States trade group report on re-opening of Umm Qasr Port.
- United States Military. Road trip: SDDC Southwest Asia works up front at Iraqi port of Umm Qasr. in Translog: Journal of Military Transportation Management, Fall, 2004 by Randall Ramian
- 2003 UNJLC Reports on Umm Qasr Port.
- UNIKOM Images of Umm Qasr Port.
- University of Texas: Area Map.
External links
- Iraq Image - Umm Qasr Satellite Observation Archived 2019-05-02 at the Wayback Machine
- Umm Qasr, Iraq
- "At Iraqi Port, Chaos and Corruption Reign" – slideshow by The New York Times