Final answer:
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers converge into the Shatt al-Arab and flow into the Persian Gulf. This region marked the start of civilizations due to its fertile land, shaped by irrigation projects developed to manage the rivers. Modern water resource management remains a critical issue due to regional disputes over dam constructions affecting water flow.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are two defining rivers of Mesopotamia and are crucial for agriculture and the development of civilizations in that region. The rivers originate in Turkey and eventually meet, forming the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which then flows into the Persian Gulf.
The Euphrates river, being the longest of Southwest Asia, flows through Syria and Iraq, while the Tigris also flows through Turkey and Iraq before merging. Large-scale irrigation projects and dams have been built on these rivers to manage their waters for agricultural use.
Mesopotamia, known as the land between the rivers, saw the birth of civilizations due to the fertile land provided by these rivers.
In ancient times, the unpredictable flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates necessitated cooperative efforts for irrigation and led to the development of the first cities as systems of governance and administration were required to manage these projects.
However, water resource management continues to be a concern in modern times due to the construction of dams like the Atatürk Dam in Turkey. Such dams have led to disputes among countries over water allocation in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin, affecting downstream countries like Syria and Iraq.