The
Khawr Abd Allah is today an
estuary, but once was the point where the
Euphrates and
Tigris rivers (
Shatt al-Arab) emptied into the
Persian Gulf. Located in the south of Iraq, the
Iraq-
Kuwaiti border divides the lower portion of the estuary, but adjacent to the port of
Umm Qasr the estuary becomes wholly Iraqi. The
Shatt al-Arab is now the point where the rivers drain out, east of the Khawr Abd Allah. As it extends northwestward into
Iraq, it changes its name to Khawr az-Zubayr, at the location of
Umm Qasr. From this point it links by canalagain to the northwest and into the
Tigris and
Euphrates proper. It forms the northeast coastline of
Jazirat Bubiyan and the north coastline of
Jazirat Warbah. Both of these islands are officially
Kuwait, however
Iraq does claim them.