Ap Human Geography Research Paper

802 Words4 Pages
When most people look at a map, they see the physical shape of the world, the edges along a coastline. What they don’t see, however, is how geography shaped the history of the people living in that particular area. Ever since the Sumerians inhabited present-day Iraq nearly five thousand years ago, the geography of a civilization has been integral to the people who live in that particular area. Geography has helped determine outcomes in many conflicts, and helped spread culture throughout civilizations. The Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans greatly relied on their geography to fuel the survival of both their societies and themselves. Geography created and sustained the world's first civilization, leading nomads to settle and create a highly intricate society. Most historians accept that Mesopotamia was the first civilization. Though in present-day arid Iraq, Mesopotamia literally means “land between two rivers”, making it a fine place to settle. The first inhabitants were able to farm and drink from two sources of fresh water; the Tigris and Euphrates River. Though trading by rivers wasn’t as popular in Mesopotamia as it was in Egypt, it still occurred. This helped the spreading of artwork and culture to other…show more content…
Ancient Egypt is broken into two separate types of land; “red land” and “black land”. The black land was the only land in Egypt that could be farmed, while the red land was primarily desert. However, red land was as integral in the survival of Ancient Egypt as black land was; red land protected outside armies from invading Ancient Egypt. This generally isolated Ancient Egypt from the outside world, while creating a very sustainable civilization. Since almost 90% of the land in Egypt is desert, the Nile River was crucial for helping Egyptians trade with each other. Because of Egypt's diverse topography, both the "red land" and "black land" sustained the survival of

More about Ap Human Geography Research Paper

Open Document