Geography’s Impact on Culture and Society

Geography’s Impact on Culture and Society

When studying ancient civilizations and the beginning societies in the world, the geography has shaped its story significantly. Depending on the location of the civilization society, whether or not water was nearby was crucial for its survival. With trade networks, metals, foods, and languages were spread. Weapons were able to be formed from these metals which led to a stronger military. Mountain ranges formed the boundaries of civilizations. Geography greatly impacted Asia, Africa and Europe.

Asia

Asia is “the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres”. Its land mass covers almost 9% of the Earth's surface area, 30% of its land area and it holds nearly 60% of the world's current human population . Most of central Asia is covered by cold steppes. Dictionary.com describes a steppe as “an extensive plain, especially one without trees” , consisting mainly of grasslands and considered to be a land that is “too dry to support a forest, but not dry enough to be a desert” .

The coastal border of Asia was inhabited by some of the world's earliest known civilizations that developed around fertile river valleys. These people “may well have exchanged technologies and ideas such as mathematics and the wheel with one another”1.

The central steppe region had long been inhabited by nomads who could reach all areas of Asia from the steppes on horseback. The northernmost part of Asia, which includes much of Siberia, was largely inaccessible to these steppe nomads, due to the dense forests, climate and tundra. These areas remained very sparsely populated due to the geography of the land that made living conditions difficult.1

The center a...

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... other surrounding Mediterranean lands, helping conquer new territories and further developing trade routes.

Works Cited

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/steppe?s=t

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppes

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Greece

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens

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