Much of Iraq consists of a low-lying plain which is the trough of a large northeast-southwest oriented synclinal feature with a steeper northeastern flank. This steeper northeastern flank is comprised of gentle folds that increase in magnitude into the Upper Fold and Nappe Zone which includes the Zagros Mountains in northeastern Iraq and Iran.

The southwest flank of the fold is comprised of desert plateaus that reach into Saudi Arabia. This overall tectonic structure is due to compressive forces from the northeast that are opposed, in the southwest, by the fairly stable Arabian Plateau. There are, of course, other local features some of which are probably important for oil and salt formations but the basic scene is a tectonic trough and ongoing activity as the Arabian tectonic plate is forced under the Iranian plate.

There is also some information on the geography of Iraq at the National Geographic website national geographic .