﻿524 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  running 
  across 
  Iraq 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south. 
  Smaller 
  rivers 
  are 
  the 
  

   Orontis 
  in 
  Syria, 
  the 
  Leontis 
  in 
  Lebanon, 
  and 
  the 
  Jordan 
  in 
  Palestine. 
  

   Along 
  with 
  this 
  varied 
  topography, 
  a 
  similar 
  variation 
  in 
  climatic 
  

   conditions 
  is 
  encountered. 
  Along 
  the 
  coastal 
  plain 
  prevails 
  the 
  Med- 
  

   iterranean 
  type 
  of 
  climate 
  — 
  a 
  short 
  and 
  mild 
  winter 
  in 
  which 
  rain 
  is 
  

   concentrated, 
  and 
  a 
  long, 
  damp, 
  and 
  warm 
  summer 
  in 
  which 
  no 
  rain 
  

   falls. 
  Here 
  rainfall 
  is 
  relatively 
  heavy, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  

   section 
  where 
  it 
  reaches 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  over 
  30 
  inches 
  per 
  year. 
  On 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  heights 
  snowfall 
  is 
  heavy 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  whereas 
  the 
  

   summer 
  is 
  cool, 
  bracing, 
  and 
  dry. 
  In 
  the 
  interior 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  marked 
  

   variation 
  in 
  temperature 
  between 
  day 
  and 
  night 
  and 
  between 
  summer 
  

   and 
  winter. 
  Here 
  rainfall 
  is 
  scanty. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  above 
  varie- 
  

   ties, 
  there 
  is 
  the 
  subtropical 
  climate 
  of 
  the 
  Jordan 
  depression 
  in 
  Pales- 
  

   tine 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  Persian 
  Gulf 
  area 
  of 
  Iraq. 
  

  

  Between 
  9 
  and 
  10 
  million 
  people 
  live 
  within 
  the 
  boundaries 
  of 
  this 
  

   region. 
  What 
  strikes 
  attention 
  first 
  is 
  their 
  pattern 
  of 
  .distribution. 
  

   As 
  expected, 
  the 
  fertile 
  coastal 
  plains 
  and 
  river 
  valleys 
  are 
  densely 
  

   populated, 
  whereas 
  the 
  extensive 
  semiarid 
  plains 
  and 
  plateaus 
  of 
  the 
  

   interior 
  support 
  a 
  sparse 
  population. 
  Coming 
  to 
  the 
  Lebanon 
  Moun- 
  

   tains, 
  however, 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  high 
  population 
  density 
  of 
  over 
  100 
  per 
  

   square 
  kilometer 
  (260 
  per 
  square 
  mile). 
  This 
  is 
  so 
  despite 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  these 
  mountains 
  are 
  extremely 
  rugged 
  and 
  their 
  soil 
  scanty. 
  

   Obviously, 
  not 
  only 
  geographical 
  but 
  also 
  cultural 
  factors 
  must 
  be 
  

   taken 
  into 
  consideration 
  in 
  accounting 
  for 
  this 
  apparent 
  anomaly. 
  

   Religious 
  and 
  political 
  conflicts 
  during 
  the 
  old 
  Turkish 
  regime 
  forced 
  

   the 
  Christian 
  minority 
  to 
  congregate 
  and 
  take 
  refuge 
  in 
  the 
  mountain 
  

   heights. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  population 
  is 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  high 
  birth 
  

   rate 
  and 
  a 
  high 
  death 
  rate, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  villages. 
  Early 
  marriage, 
  

   emphasis 
  upon 
  family 
  life 
  as 
  a 
  major 
  value, 
  and 
  the 
  polygynous 
  fea- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  the 
  Muslim 
  religion 
  are 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  cultural 
  factors 
  respon- 
  

   sible 
  for 
  a 
  birth 
  rate 
  that 
  ranges 
  from 
  30 
  to 
  45 
  per 
  thousand. 
  This 
  is 
  

   more 
  than 
  double 
  the 
  rate 
  for 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  of 
  America. 
  On 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand, 
  a 
  death 
  rate 
  of 
  20 
  to 
  28 
  prevails, 
  which 
  also 
  is 
  much 
  

   higher 
  than 
  the 
  rate 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  A 
  natural 
  increase 
  in 
  

   population, 
  however, 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  net 
  result. 
  With 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  

   modern 
  medical 
  knowledge 
  and 
  sanitation, 
  an 
  acceleration 
  in 
  the 
  rate 
  

   of 
  increase 
  may 
  be 
  expected. 
  

  

  With 
  respect 
  to 
  racial 
  composition, 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  

   shows 
  a 
  marked 
  degree 
  of 
  admixture. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  a 
  relatively 
  high 
  

   degree 
  of 
  racial 
  purity 
  exists 
  among 
  the 
  Bedouin 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  interior. 
  

   This 
  purity, 
  however, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  relative 
  isolation 
  and 
  

   consequent 
  inbreeding, 
  becomes 
  in 
  general 
  less 
  and 
  less 
  evident 
  as 
  

   ( 
  ne 
  moves 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  center 
  toward 
  the 
  periphery, 
  especially 
  the 
  

  

  