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The record is made up of 1 volume (76 folios). It was created in Feb 1919. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
no
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
[No. 92
pa rati ve statistics as between Great Britain and
her competitors are not given there at all, and the
effect of German competition upon British trade is not
discussed, though this has been the great subject of
interest and discussion among politicians and the local
trading community from 1907 onwards. The figures
given are, however, useful as showing (1) the marked
development of Mesopotamian trade during the period
immediately preceding the war, and (2) the impetus
given to trade by the revolution of 1908, and by the
entry on a large scale of Germany into the trade of the
country in 1906.
Tn the period 1904-13, the years 1905, 1906, 1907, and
1910, were normal; 1904, 1909, and 1913, were ab
normally bad, the first two owing to bad harvests or
low water in the rivers, and 1913 owing to the disloca
tion caused by the Balkan wars; the harvest of 1911
was so exceptionally good as to affect that and the
following year, and traders further benefited in 1911
by exceptionally high prices. The very large increase
of imports in 1913 was due to the construction of the
Baghdad Railway, which caused the imports of iron
and steel goods to rise from an average of £34,000 for
the period 1909-12 to £1.207,882 for 1913.
A large proportion both of the export and import
trade through Basra is consigned from or destined for
Baghdad, as is shown by the following figures taken
from the Consular returns :—
Baghdad. Imports, Exports.
1906 1,850,849
1907 2,312,380
1908 1,912,360
1909 2,152,732
1910 2,736,414
1911 2,661,401
1912 2,822,817
1913 2,914,636
847,392
710,288
555 802
765,388
853,963
746,821
930,760
755,501
About this item
- Content
This volume is a confidential handbook on Mesopotamia prepared under the direction of the Historical Section of the Foreign Office, dated February 1919. There is a table of contents which includes the following chapters:
- I: 'Geography Physical and Political', including 'Position and Frontiers', 'Surface, Coast and River Systems', 'Climate', 'Sanitary Conditions', 'Race and Language' and 'Population';
- II: 'Political History', including 'Chronological Summary', 'Introduction', 'Early period of Turkish Occupation, 1638-1834', 'Later period of Turkish Occupation, 1834-1914', and 'Commercial Developments';
- III: 'Social and Political Conditions', including 'Religious', 'Political', 'Public Education' and 'General Observations';
- IV: 'Economic Conditions', including 'Means of Communication', 'Industry', 'Commerce', 'Finance' and 'General Remarks'.
There is also an appendix which includes tables of 'Exports to Principal Countries from Baghdad', 'Imports from Principal Countries to Baghdad', 'Principal Exports from Basra' and 'Principal Imports to Basra'. This is followed by a section entitled 'Authorities' which is a bibliography of references used for the preparation of the volume. This section is divided into 'Historical' (including 'Confidential Sources'), 'Economic' ('Official' and 'General') and 'Maps'. There is a pocket at the back of the volume to house maps, but there are no maps present.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (76 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Pagination: The volume contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'Mesopotamia' [60v] (120/152), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C190, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023514036.0x000079> [accessed 24 August 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/C190
- Title
- 'Mesopotamia'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:75v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence