Maggie Ray

Question: Using specific examples, analyze the impact that geography has had on the

development of civilizations from Pre-History to Present Day.

LEQ Response

There are many factors that play a role in where civilizations settle and live. There are

some places that are very common to live in or around. For example, Europe is a place that had

a lot of civilizations. This is because Europe has many factors that draw people in to settle and

live there. These factors include access to water, a lack of deserts, and flat plains.

To begin, one reason why Europe is so common for civilizations to settle in is because of

the easy access to water. There is so much access to water due to the many oceans and seas,

rivers, and lakes in or around Europe. Access to water is so valuable because, with oceans

around, civilizations can develop trade with other places, have fishing as a major resource, or,

more common in present day, can form a great and strong Navy. Trade is good because a

civilization can get resources it does not have naturally from another civilization for something

they have an abundance of. Having fishing as a resource is good because there will be an

abundance of it for a very long time to come still. A strong Navy is good because a people will

always want to protect themselves. Also, being around a lot of water means more rain, so less

deserts.
 To continue, Europe is good for settling because of the lack of deserts it has. Not having

many deserts is a really good thing because it means more farming land and more resources. An

example of a civilization that did settle in a desert place are the Egyptians. The Egyptians settled

in Egypt and in Egypt was all desert and one, long river. They all live near the river because that

is the only land that is fertile and able to grow plants on/in. The desert really has nothing to offer

as it is evident that the Egyptians did not want to live there.

Lastly, A reason that civilizations settle in Europe is because of the flat plains and few

mountain ranges. Europe has flat, fertile plains that are great for farming. Although the flat

plains are good, the mountain ranges are also really helpful. This is because mountains cause

run-offs which create rivers. Also, mountain ranges block other civilizations from trying to

conquer them.

In conclusion, there are factors that make civilizations want to settle in certain places and

these factors are access to water, lack of deserts, and flat, fertile plains.