Anonymous = me
it took all the formatting out... gay SR.. lol
the quotes are centered and you can probably tell where the paragraphs start and stuff..theres like 6 total....read it if you want... guess my grade.. and ill tell you what i get in like a week!
oh crap ill even post my global paper!!
Global History I Matt Dibble
Thematic Essay On Geography February 27, 2006
There are several geographic features that had influences on the development of early river civilizations. Many of the geographic features such as mountains, rivers, and deserts formed natural barriers. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia, The Sahara Desert in Egypt, and the Hindu Kush mountains in India.
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia were a huge specific influence that geography placed on their society. The people in that area learned to control the water by using dikes, canals, and ditches. They also used it for transportation. Mesopotamia, or the "Fertile Crescent" did not have many natural barriers; if you could make it through or around the Tigris or Euphrates river than you could easily get into their land. Because people learned to control the land and the rivers they were able to farm, which led to a surplus of food. Without the river or the land they would not have the right living conditions to farm. A positive influence the geography had on people is that they could settle in one place and not have to worry about hunting and gathering. A negative influence the geography had on people is that they could not predict when the river would flood; they could prepare for it but they could not predict it, which eventually led to crop/home damage.
The Indus Valley Civilization had 3 main geographic features that affected it which are the Hindu Kush mountains, the Himalaya mountains, and the Indus River. Each of those geographic features either improved or worsened different aspects of life in that area. Those people could use the Indus River for transportation, and the mountain ranges helped keep invaders out. These mountains also had negative effects on the Indus Valley Civilization. They made travel difficult between themselves and the other civilizations of that time. The Indus River also caused problems for the people there. It flooded every year, but at different times so they could not predict when it would happen. When it did flood it would bring nutrient-rich silt into the area which was definitely a positive influence however it did have negative influences;because the flooding was unpredictable it could ruin peoples homes or their crops.
The civilization that popped up around the Nile River was another civilization heavily affected by the geography that surrounded it. First of all, this civilization appeared right in the Sahara Desert. It acted as a barrier, but, the people could only settle on a small portion of the land. A positive influence of this natural barrier is that the people were kept safe from invaders. With the positive comes the negative, they did not have communication with people outside of their own area which limited cultural diffusion. Another geographical feature of the Nile Civilization that had an influence was the predictability of the flooding of the river. It flooded at the same time every year so people knew when to expect it. Positive effects of this is that they could plan for floods and that it was more controllable. Negative effects were that too much flooding or long term dryness could cause crop damage.
These geographic features impacted the development of the early civilizations by helping and limiting cultural diffusion. With advancement of technology, transportation has increased cultural diffusion and the geography of the area is not as big of a problem as it once was.
