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There are some geographic features that have played key roles in world history. They include bodies of water, deserts, planes, and mountains. Surely the most important is the vast Eurasian Steppe. One author claim that the stepp's 'pitiless' climate bred hard and cruel men. [Kaplan] We are not sure about that, but the Steppe did bread warring tribes. They struck out of the Steppe to the east and west. To the north and south the Steppe horsemen were stopped by the Arctic barrier and to the south the Gobi Desert and Himilayas. China has been the linch-pin of history, affecting European history before the Europeans were even aware of China. When China was strong the steppe tribes struck west. During periods of weakness in China the steppe tribes invaded the Middle Kingdom. The Himilayas and the Alps were both mountain shields. River systems have played a huge tole in history, critical in the very rise of civilization. Agriculture and civilization were born in great river valleys. Rivers like the Nile, Tigris-Eurprates, Congo, Amazon, Mississippi, Yelow Yangste, Volga, Rhine, Danube, and others have played enormous roles in world history and economics. And until the 19th century and the development of railroads they were critical to commerce. The English Channel has even before Roman times played a huge role in English history and as a result European history. It was the Channel that stopped the Spanish, Napoleon, and Hitler with enormous politica and economic consequences. Oceanns and seas have both united peoples through facilitating commerce as well as isolating the Native American peoples in North and South America. The Sahara is another major feature which seems to have played a major role in peopleing the Nile Valley and determining the ethnic makeup of North Africa and Equatorial Africa. One of the most notable geographic features is Gibraltar. It is a huge rock set in one of the most critical points imaginable. This peninsular at the southern tip of Spain has played an enormous role in history. An Anglo-Dutch force seized Gibraltar from Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession (1704). Spain was forced to cede Gibraltar to Britain 'in perpetuity' under the Treaty of Utrecht (1713). It became an important base for the Royal Navy, especially during the Napoleonic Wars and World War II.
There are as a result of plate tectonics, seven continents in the world: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America. There is no widely accepted definition of continents. Some give different numbers, primarily based on whether you consider Australia as a continent or a huge island. And cultural influences shape regional differences. Thus the Middle East and North Africa, located at a junction between Asia, Europe, and Africa as a separate region. This is because the region was an area of cultural exchange. The result was so much of human cultural development, including beast of burdens multiplying human power beyond the human body, inventing civilization with many of of the world's most important crops, and creating writing--launching the information age. But with the rise of Islam, over time the Middle East and North Africa became a kind of cultural island. The region ceased being a generator of culture and learning and became isolated , almost as if it was an island. The Middle East became a black hole of science and technology at the same time that the European Renaissance began (14th century). And this continues to this day. Asia dominates the continents in area and population. And Asia is by far the larger part of the Eurasian land mass. Australia like the Americas became isolated, but is not included in either the Old or New World division. Antarctica is unpopulated. Because of terrestrial connections, the Old World consists of Asia, Europe, and Africa. North and South America because of isolation are referred to as the New World. Isolation and other factors such as the north-south orientation compared to Asia's east-west orientation as well as the lack of a beast of burden explain the differential development. [Diamond] Isolation may also be a factor in Africa's differential development, but other factors are disease and fauna--primarily because of the lack of a beast of burden that was so important in Eurasia. In modern history, Europe and North America (with its European cultural development) have been dominate, largely because of technological advances. This has not always been the case with Asia, especially China being more technologically advanced. It is in Europe that modernity emerged, not only because of technology, but also concepts like democracy and capitalism, concepts related to technology.
There are a wide range of bodies of water and land formations within those bodies of water.
Rivers are the body of water that have had the most immediate impact on humanity. Agriculture and civilization were born in great river valleys. Rivers were the high ways of the ancient and medieval worlds. River systems have played a huge tole in history, critical in the very rise of civilization. The location and flow of rivers has had enormous impact on human settlement and commerce. Rivers like the Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, Indus, Congo, Amazon, Mississippi, Yellow, Yangtze, Volga, Rhine, Danube, and others have played enormous roles in world history and economics. And until the 19th century and the development of railroads they were critical to commerce.
Oceans and seas have both united peoples through facilitating commerce as well as isolating the Native American peoples in North and South America. This depended largely on the technological level of the population.
Oceans encompass vast areas, but only small areas of those oceans are of great strategic importance.
Much of ocean area are of no real historic value. But when patterns and land formations mean that the sea lanes (trading routes) that formed in those oceans and seas were of immense values. Most naval battles are not fought in the open oceans, but at gulfs, straits, and capes.
Within in oceans and seas, gulfs are of great imprtance because they generally provide more sheltered waters than open sea areas. Thuis human ser=ttlement is commonly more prevalent many coastal areas. .
And particularly important in forming sea lanes are straits. And the fact that three of the four river valley civilizations were in contact made straits in the West of particular importance. But throughout history, battles have been in or near these straits. And this continues to this day with a few straits controlling a huge portion of the world's oil supplies.
Another feature are capes. The most notable is the Cape of Good Hope, the rounding of which at the the end of the 15th century set the modern world in motion. And one of the most important naval battles was fought off Capre Trafalgar.
Akin to straits are channels. The English Channel has even before Roman times played a huge role in English history and as a result European history. It was the Channel that stopped the Spanish, Napoleon, and Hitler with enormous political and economic consequences.
Peninsulas are notable formations. And in the ancient world, centered on the Mediterranean, peninsulas have played an outsized role, including Anatolia, Greece, Italy and Iberia, i part because of their tendency to embrace maritime roles. Actually Europe, especially Western Europe might be seen as a peninsula of Asia.
Another important formations is islands, essentially peninsulas without land connections. Depending on technology, islands can isolate populations or open populations up to cultural exchanges. Islands like peninsulas can generate maritime out reach. The most notable is of course Britain. Interestingly Japan for most of its history was strongly influenced by cultural exchange, but The Shogun decided to isolate Japan for three centuries after which in only a few decades, Japan became a naval powerhouse.
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The Sahara is another major feature which seems to have played a major role in peopleing the Nile Valley and determining the ethnic makeup of North Africa and Equarorial Africa.
There are some geographic features that have played key roles in world history. They include bodies of water, deserts, planes, and mountains. Surely the most important is the vast Eurasian Steppe. One author claim that the Stepp's 'pitiless' climate bred hard and cruel men. [Kaplan] We are not sure about that, but the Steppe did bread warring tribes. They struck out of the steppe to the east and west. To the north and south the Steppe horsemen were stopped by the Arctic barrier and to the south the Gobi Desert and Himilayas. China has been the linch-pin of history, affecting European history before the Europeans were even aware of China. When China was strong the steppe tribes struck west. During periods of weakness in China the steppe tribes invaded the Middle Kingdom.
The Himilayas and the Alps were both mountain shields. Mountains were normally a matter of isolation and barriers to trade and commerce, meaning the spread of civilization. Civilization developed in river valleys and plains. One exception is the Andes. Here important advanced civilizations developed as well as one of the most important agricultural crops--the potato.
One of the most notable geographic features is Gibraltar. It is a huge rock set in one of the most critical points imaginable. This peninsular at the southern tip of Spain has played an enormous role in history. An Anglo-Dutch force seized Gibraltar from Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession (1704). Spain was forced to cede Gibraltar to Britain 'in perpetuity' under the Treaty of Utrecht (1713). It became an important base for the Royal Navy, especially during the Napoleonic Wars and World War II.
Diamond, Jared. M. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (Norton: New York, 1999).
Kaplan, Robert D. The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About the Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate (2012).
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