MESOPOTAMIA
The Mesopotamian civilization was located in between rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. Dependent on the area of the region, people either relied on natural resources or trade. In the Northern part of Mesopotamia, land was fertile, seasonal rains occurred, rivers/streams flow from the mountains, and resources were retrieved from the mountains. People were not nomadic, they grew crops and relied on agriculture for their economic system. When traveling to the mountains, people collected natural resources such as metal, stone, timber, etc. On the other hand, in the Southern part of Mesopotamia, people were more unfortunate. The land was marshy, infertile, etc. The climate was extremely hot at most times, droughts were caused from the heat. Sometimes unpredictable floods were created even. Civilizations developed along the banks of the rivers and streams for survival. Irrigation systems were beneficial for their beings. Southern Mesopotamia relied on trading and neighboring lands to thrive. Natural resources were short, and defensive areas were not present. Civilians had to find water and food supply regularly, and no natural barriers resulted into invasions. |
EGYPT
The Nile river allowed early Egyptians to establish civilizations along the river providing them with a source of food, transportation, water, and an irrigation system. Because of the Nile, this Egyptian civilization was able to flourish and thrive. The Nile served as both an irrigation system and a food source. During the months of July through September, the Nile would flood because of tropical rains causing rich, fertile soil. The flooding allowed ancient Egyptians to start planting their crops and developing an agricultural system. The farming system allowed permanent settlements to grow into civilizations. Egypt’s proximity to large bodies of water, like the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and the Nile River, allowed Egypt to transport and trade goods with surrounding countries. Because the Nile runs through a large portion of East Africa, it allowed the Egyptians to trade goods and resources efficiently. The Nile also supplied the Egyptians with valuable resources such as clay and mud. The clay and mud were used to make bricks which were used for construction. Other resources for construction included hills/mountains and the deserts in East Egypt. The hills and mountains along the Nile gave the Egyptians access to sandstone and limestone which was also used for construction. The deserts allowed for mining of limestone, sandstone, granite, gold, and other metals. These were used for construction of buildings, tools/weaponry, or pottery. These geographical advantages helped the Egyptian civilizations thrive for many years. |
CHINA
The geography of the ancient China was isolated making it hard for them to make trades to the other civilizations. On the other hands, the silk road provide them to have trading route for the civilizations in the west. However, the Yellow River gave them source to plant crops, such as millet, water chestnuts, and lotus. Not only that, but they also have a good deal of fishes to consume. The Eastern China, however, was surrounded by high mountains, vast steppes, and deserts; this became the cause of the independent civilizations in the ancient China. |
INDUS RIVER
In the 2500 B.C. near the southwestern part of the Indus river began the Indus valley civilization. The Indus river system was very big and the river was a rich agricultural landscape. The Indus plain was surrounded by many mountains (Example: the Hindu Kush), desert and ocean. But because of where the Indus valley was located there were many unpredictable nature disasters affected many people. |