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M/SUNNY Temp: 46 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, April 13, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 1, 2003 Since you asked Iraq is size of Oregon, Washington Using the area we live in as a yardstick, how do we compare to Iraq in size? The size of Washington and Oregon combined, or what? With an image in mind, it would be much easier to envision what our troops are dealing with. And while we’re at it, what’s the correct pronunciation. I’ve heard it pronounced eer-RACK, err-ROCK and EYE-rack or -rock. — Iris V., Medford,and others Good questions, Iris. If you think of Iraq as about the size of Oregon and Washington together, you’ll be very close. Iraq is about 168,000 square miles. Oregon is about 97,000, and Washington about 68,000. Iraq extends from the Persian Gulf to its borders with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Iran. Most Iraqis live in the eastern part of the nation. The western third is desert. The part of Iraq between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is the former Mesopotamia, the site of one of the most ancient civilizations on Earth. The nation’s only significant resource is oil. Now for that pronunciation, and the answer may surprise you: It’s eer-RACK. Southern Oregon University historian Bob Harrison, who knows about such things, says it’s a flat "a", just like the one in Islam. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S