Geography
Mesopotamia is a Greek word meaning 'between the rivers'. The rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates which flow through modern Iraq and much of Syria too. Both rivers are fed by numerous smaller rivers which fed to different regions of Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamia is made up of two regions Northern Mesopotamia and Southern. Northern Mesopotamia is made up of hills and plains. The land is quite fertile for farming due to seasonal rains, and the rivers and streams flowing from the mountains which provide nutrients to the soil. The Southern Mesopotamia is made up of marshy areas and wide, flat, barren plains that cities that are along that regions would have to irrigate the land along the banks of the rivers in order for their crops to grow.