Geographic Barriers Of Ancient Civilization

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The development of early civilizations was greatly affected by geographic barriers. Geographic barriers are physical features of an area that create obstacles, thus isolating that area from other cultures. The ancient people of China, India and Egypt were greatly impacted by the mountains, deserts and rivers of their regions. The majority of the population of ancient China was in the east. This is because geographic barriers such as the Himalayan Mountains and large deserts are located in the west. China is surrounded by geographic barriers. This isolated them from other nations, causing strong feelings of ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the belief that your culture is superior to others. The ancient Chinese called their land, "The Middle…show more content…
These rivers travel 1,500 miles across northern India. Occasional extremes of weather such as monsoons, or seasonal winds, were a part of life in this land. The winter brought dry winds from the northeast, and summer brought wet winds from the southwest. Winter monsoons also cause a long period of drought. In the summer they got much needed rain, but sometimes too much. Their crops washed out, and there would be massive flooding. However, great civilizations developed and flourished around the rivers, mountains, plains and deserts of this subcontinent. The Indus river was located in the northwest. It was on the banks of the Indus river that one of the earliest civilizations in India was created. Mohenjo Daro was built around 2600 BC, and was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. They used what was around them to form streets and buildings. It was one of the most advanced cities of its time, and was well planned before being occupied. People in Mohenjo Daro lived in sturdy brick houses that had as many as three floors. They also had bathrooms that were connected to sewers. Their drainage system was well ahead of their time. The Himalayas provides a great deal or protection from nomadic invasions from the

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