...Geography and the Development/Diffusion of Human Society Veronica Morales Western Governor’s University Geography and environment plays a significant role in the development of early societies. The development of the early societies occurred as people from different regions interacted with one another as they shared and extend acquired knowledge. As a result, primitive people began to establish and populate regions of the ancient world forming structures of the early society. As societies expand, they form into civilization with sophisticated form of communications and development of technologies. Physical geography as well as natural resources can shape the cultures and societies around us. We know that early societies have adapted their ways of life for survival. The success or failure of the society can lead to expansion or downfall of a civilization. Environmental and geographic factors are known to contribute in the development of early civilizations such as Mesopotamia as well as the development of the United States through the process of diffusion from people and ideas over time. In the early civilizations, the presence of water symbolized life. Mesopotamia was the birth of early civilization due to its significant geographical characteristics, the rivers. The accessibility to water source from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers provided the early civilization with the knowledge to bring forth dependable food source. Mesopotamia was located in between two rivers...
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...Geography and the Development and Diffusion of Human Societies Patricia A. Millard Western Governors University Geography and the Development and Diffusion of Human Societies The Andes Mountains and the Inca Empire The Andean Civilization known as the Inca Empire existed from the years 1471-1532 in the South American Andes mountain range (Soomo, 2013). A major geographical feature contributing to the growth of the Inca Empire was the mountainous nature of the area surrounding the location of the original tribe. This tribe was located on a plateau about 11,000 feet high, close to what would become the capital city of Cuzco (Hughes, 2002). Local communities had already begun the process of terracing the mountainsides for the purpose of agriculture, but the new Inca Empire expanded and perfected the practice allowing for rapid development. The capital city of Cuzco was laid out in a pattern resembling a puma, with intricate patterns of roads and water channels built of stone (Hughes, 2002). Terraces surrounding the city were built into the mountainside with the same attention to detail, allowing the community to grow food in an inhospitable environment. Archeological evidence has shown that the primary crops were maize and potatoes, with around 200 varieties of potatoes being cultivated at different elevations (A. Smith, 2011). The ability to grow food at these elevations by adapting and changing the geographical challenges they were presented with, allowed the Incas to...
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...Running head: GEOGRAPHY AND THE DEVELOPMENT AND DIFFUSION OF Geography and the Development and Diffusion of Human Societies GKE1- Western Governors University Geography and the Development and Diffusion of Human Societies Evaluating and researching how environmental and geographical factors, such as the availability of resources and location of land have affected and continue to affect the human race through development, distribution, and diffusion is not only intriguing but complex as well. The ancient site of Mesopotamia, appears to have been the first look at the world’s civilization. Mesopotamia; is Greek for between two rivers. This actually created a significant physical geographical factor that contributed to the Mesopotamian people, the land being fertile, and the beginning of civilization and urbanization. Mesopotamia was flat land that was situated between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers. The land was rich in nutrients and clay that allowed for the Mesopotamian people to plant crops, build shelters to live in and store their harvested crops, also allowed for the benefits of domestication of animals. Even through all of the development of their lands it was not without transgression, they did have to overcome many environmental issues: floods, droughts, storms, dust, heat, disease and even death. The Mesopotamian people held strong and allowed them to overcome and prosper (Mark, 2009) (Guisepi, 1998) (Historical TV, 2013). With...
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...Part A The Andean civilizations was a significant geographic factor that shaped the development of South America. The Andes Mountains extend from Venezuela to the southern tip of the continent and considered to be some of the largest as well as the longest chain of mountains (Encyclopedia of Everything Mountains, 2016) in the world. They stretch along the entire west coast of South America from Cape Horn to Panama, a distance of 4,500 miles. Only the Himalaya Mountains and their adjacent ranges such as the Hindu Kush are higher than the Andes range.) The mountains not alone provided boundaries and beauty but it is rumored that the word Andes come from the word Anti which means copper in the Quechuan language. This metal is one of many resources found in this mountain cluster. Found also is gold, silver, tin, lead, iron, platinum, and quicksilver. It is home to many different species of animals, active and non-active volcanoes, great rivers, and glaciers that cover the high peaks of the mountain tops even close to the equator. (Encyclopedia of Everything Mountains, 2016). Part B An example of diffusion that is constant throughout world history is the spread of religious beliefs and practices. These travelled with traders, migrants, and warriors, just as much as with missionaries. For example, Arab traders brought Islam to the north and east of Africa, India, and southeast Asia long before their warriors followed. On the other hand, long before Protestants and Catholics...
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...A. Justify your choice of the two most significant environmental/geographic factors that contributed to the development or expansion of the United States. I am choosing the Gold Rush and the Dust Bowl as my two significant factors that have contributed to the development or expansion of the US. The Dust Bowl. In the middle of the 19th century many people were traveling across the US looking for land to farm and make homes on. When they reach the Midwest they thought they had found paradise. The grass was tall and rich all the way from Canada to Texas. Men started to clear the land and started planting crops of wheat. The most ideal was the Southern Plains. The only down side was once the trees and grass was removed the top soil had nothing to hold it into place. The water from the ground that would have gone to the roots of the trees and grass flowed into nearby water ways, such as creeks and rivers. The southern plains were the place to be in the 1930’s. They grew wheat which the government was paying top dollar for because of World War I. The wheat and corn was used to help feed the soldiers and other countries as well as many Americans. In the summer of 1931 a great drought hit the southern plains, turning the once fertile ground into dry brittle dirt. But the lack of water was not the only reason the ground was so dry. The farming practices at that time were depleting the soil of all the nutrients needed to help crops grow. The drought did not stop...
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...INTRODUCTION Ask 3 questions: What is located where? Why are things located where they are? So What? the equator halfway between the poles and another line extending from pole to pole. They then drew a grid of latitude and I-4I-5longitude lines from those geographic reference points, thereby locating any point on Earth using just two numbers. geographic grid: The system of mathematically determined latitude and longitude lines used to determine the location of every place on Earth’s surface. spatial relationships: The close association of human and natural phenomena in place and their mutual interdependence and interaction. spatial perspective: The geographic approach that places location at the center of research, analysis, and explanation. Modern geography is best understood as the study of how the physical and cultural attributes of the earth interact to form spatial or regional patterns Modern geography has improved our ability to explain the world by utilizing four traditional areas of study: • 1. the location of physical and cultural features and activities (spatial distributions); • 2. the relationships between people and the lands that support them; • 3. the existence of distinctive areas or regions, including analysis and explanation of how they came to be formed; and • 4. the physical characteristics of the earth, perhaps the oldest of all geographic traditions. patial tradition: A geographic perspective that emphasizes how things are organized in...
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...GKE Task 1 Geography plays a very vital role in the development of the early human societies. The development occurred as people of different regions interacted with others and shared as well as extended their acquired knowledge. This led to primitive people establishing and populating the regions. Physical geography and the culture of the people of Mesopotamia shaped the society of the day (Maisels, 1999). Just as Mesopotamia, the same physical geography is seen to have contributed to the development of United States through the process of diffusion of people and their ideas. Mesopotamia, is the birthplace to early civilisation and early agriculture, and this is attributed to its critical geographical features, which included rivers and fertile flat lands. The easy accessibility of water from the rivers Tigris and Euphrates provided the people with the knowledge to bring in more dependable food sources. These two rivers run almost parallel to each other, and together the rivers formed the greatest agriculturally productive alluvial plain. It is on these alluvial plains that the initial crop plantations were experimented. After this was successful, the people started coming up with other means of tapping the water and expanding the land under irrigation. The region was also filled with lots of plants that were easy to domesticate (Maisels, 1999). Therefore, the culture of the people was influenced by the physical geography, and this contributed to the development of early agricultural...
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...Geography has always been crucial in the development of civilizations. From the dawn of civilization to before 600 A. D, it has shaped the course of advancement. Rivers, mountains, valleys, and cataracts influenced human evolution in various ways. Geography played an important part in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India. It still does today. Humans have developed technology because of geographical barriers. In Mesopotamia, people settled in the fertile crescent for farming. They used the silt from the crescent for their agriculture. India has a diverse geography. This diversity supports various lifestyles and cultures. In Egypt, they called the Nile river, “The gift of the Nile”, which shows how critical the Nile was to the civilization. The geography of...
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...In 1977, UCLA professor and biologist, Jared Diamond, published Guns, Germs, and Steel, sparking debate among anthropologists and other academics. Winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize and New York Times bestseller, Guns, Germs, and Steel is arguably one of the most controversial novels of its genre, for Diamond’s futile attempt to explain why human development proceeded at such different rates on different continents has resulted in critical responses among scientists. In his novel, Diamond explains that civilization is exclusively the consequence of climatic and environmental imperatives, contending that the polities allowing for expansion and technological advances in human society are attributed to geography, food production, the domestication...
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...Western Governors University GKT1 Applications in US and World History Tammy Railsback Four Themes to be Addressed • Geography and the Development/Diffusion of Human Societies-Cumberland Gap • Individuals and Institutions as Mechanisms of Social/Governmental Change-Clara Barton • Historical Systems of Power, Governance and Authority-The Nazi Party • Science and Technology as the Engine of Economic Growth and Development-Gunpowder Geography and the Development of Human Societies The United States: Cumberland Gap Cumberland Gap is an excellent example of geography and diffusion of human society as until its discovery in 1750 the Appalachian Mountains blocked the way of further settlement into the West. History of Cumberland Gap • Natural passage through the Cumberland Mtns. • Formed by erosion from a stream that once flowed through it. • The path used by animals and Native Americans. • First discovered and explored by Dr. Thomas Walker in 1750 (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2013). Road to the West • In 1775 Daniel Boone and party of woodsman marked the Cumberland Gap as they traveled from Virginia to Kentucky. • Up until 1810 the Cumberland Gap was known as “the way West” and saw a steady stream of settlers pass through it. • Between the 18th and 19th centuries the Cumberland Gap was travelled by over 200,000 people migrating west. • The Cumberland Gap remained a major route for travel & trade during the 20th century (Mahaney, 2014). Individuals as Mechanisms...
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...1 Geography and the Development and Diffusion of Human Societies GKE TASK 1 Michelle Murray Western Governors University GKE Task1 2 A. The two rivers, Tigris and Euphrates are substantial examples of geographical and environmental factors that impacted the development of the Mesopotamia civilization. Mesopotamia- “known as the land between two rivers”. (Hollar,2011). Details Tigris river is 1180 miles long deeper but shorter than the Euphrates river. The Euphrates River is 1700 miles long and not as deep only flat boats can ride along this river. (Hollar,2011). I believe both rivers contributed to the Mesopotamia civilization and were significant geographical and environmental factors. The two rivers were a point of focus from the beginning. They provided rich soil perfect for agriculture, deposits of mud and clay to build their community, mode of transportation and water for irrigation for crops. The use of these valleys’ soil and water were signs of innovation and exchange. The Mesopotamians made the Fertile Crescent fertile with their irrigation technology. (Keita,n.d) They had to create an irrigation system so they could better operate the river’s water. Along with the fertile soil, proper irrigation and organized labor they reaped the benefits of the land. They were able to grow a surplus of food not only for the community...
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...to the development of our great United States? I must say, to do this, you must first look at the history of past great human societies trials and tribulations. For example, take a look a look at the history of Egypt and the Nile Valley civilizations. According to our course readings, Keita (2007) feels these ancient civilizations “were defined by the rich alluvial soils that annual floods deposited along the Nile banks and in the delta and the flood plains”. These annual floods gave rise to the development of these early civilizations by cultivating ingenuity, such as a rudimentary calendar, in which these civilizations could plan their years around cultivating the rich fertile land, and in turn, produced goods for these societies to make use of. This lead to the immigration of other societies to the area in order to flourish. With these immigrants came the process of diffusion. According to a PowerPoint created by our readings, diffusion can be defined as a geographic way of describing the way things spread [ (R. Whiting, 2014) ]. As course mentor Robert Whiting, of General Education Social Science states in his PowerPoint presentation, almost anything people think, make, or do can be diffused to another society and that people often change or adapt things to their own situations [ (R. Whiting, 2014) ]. Diffusion works off of a three step process that includes the origin, the transmission, and lastly, the replication. A perfect example of this would be the diffusion of the...
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...Geographic and environmental factors have a momentous impact on the development of trade and migration systems. Those systems and migration patterns lead to correlations among diverse people and their cultures. Therefore, geography and resources have an influence on the growth and relations between societies. Two of the most significant geographical and environmental factors that have led to the development and expansion of the United States is the growth of industry after the Civil War, and the abundance of agriculture. After the Civil War, the population in the United Sates more than doubled and industrial growth was also rapid because of the large quantity of natural resources. The United States had enormous assets such as coal, copper, petroleum, iron, water power and timber. Due to this immense supply of natural resources, many immigrants came to the States for work and many rural workers traveled many miles to flourish as well. There were many jobs like coal mining, constructing railroads, and silver and gold mining that promised wealth, like in the California Gold Rush. When gold was discovered in 1849 in California, people came from all over the world and with such an influx of people and the following development, California became an official state in 1850. Gold wasn’t the only abundant resource in the U.S. With the production of coal and other minerals, exporting to other countries was in high demand and expanded the trade industry for...
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...Task 1: Geography and the Development/Diffusion of Human Societies Part A: Mesopotamia is regarded as the birth place of civilization. “Historians believe that large civilizations began in Mesopotamia between 4,000 and 3,000 B.C.E.” (Wandrei, 2015). The most significant geographical factor that I feel contributed to the development of this society was the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. These rivers are part of a larger area referred to as the “fertile crescent” due to its rich soil. The soil is extremely rich due to the large amount of silt (a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks) deposits left from the rivers during flooding, making ideal farming areas. Although the area was ideal for farming it was still extremely difficult to do due to this regions climate that usually only produced ten inches or less of rain. So with the drought and still occasional flooding, the Mesopotamian society had to learn how to control these factors to be able to succeed in this region. They had to build an irrigation system to help protect their homes from the floods and move water to their fields during the droughts. With this irrigation system it allowed for them to have a surplus in crop. Also, having access to the rivers allowed for them to trade some of their surplus crops to obtain other needed supplies to help continue building their society. “With irrigation and the necessary drainage, southern Mesopotamia became a land of plenty that could support a considerable population” (Edzard...
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...Gke Task 1 Geographic and environmental factors have a momentous impact on the development of trade and migration systems. Those systems and migration patterns lead to correlations among diverse people and their cultures. Therefore, geography and resources have an influence on the growth and relations between societies. Two of the most significant geographical and environmental factors that have led to the development and expansion of the United States is the growth of industry after the Civil War, and the abundance of agriculture. After the Civil War, the population in the United Sates more than doubled and industrial growth was also rapid because of the large quantity of natural resources. The United States had enormous assets such as coal, copper, petroleum, iron, water power and timber. Due to this immense supply of natural resources, many immigrants came to the States for work and many rural workers traveled many miles to flourish as well. There were many jobs like coal mining, constructing railroads, and silver and gold mining that promised wealth, like in the California Gold Rush. When gold was discovered in 1849 in California, people came from all over the world and with such an influx of people and the following development, California became an official state in 1850. Gold wasn’t the only abundant resource in the U.S. With the production of coal and other minerals, exporting to other countries was in high demand and expanded...
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