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Geography Is Destiny

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Geography Is Destiny
“Geography is Destiny” The assertion that “geography is destiny” is a significantly valid statement that can be said about the shaping of earlier civilizations including Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. In each of these early civilizations, the people that entered into these areas were forced to adapt and build in a certain way due to the geography surrounding them which in return chose their destiny. The Egyptians adapted their way of life by building their civilization around the significant advantages of the Nile River. The Mesopotamians were not as lucky to have a river with such stability as the Nile; they were left with the Euphrates and Tigris River which forced them to alter and build their civilization countering the disadvantages they faced. The Indus Valley also adapted, but took advantage of their location which was surrounded by mountains, ocean and desert opening up many possibilities for trade, growth and urbanization. According to the journal entry written by J.G Manning, It was once said by a Greek historian whose name was Herodotus that early Egypt could also be referred to as the “Gift of the Nile”. This, in so many ways is very true. When the Egyptians began to build there civilization, they examined the geography around them and all the benefits that the Nile River provided. The Egyptians learned that this river provided very minimal, steady and predictable flooding. They revolved their agriculture patterns around the fact that the Nile only flooded at certain times of the year which happened to be at a very convenient time for their crops and produce. Compared to other early civilizations, the Egyptians did not have to build a sophisticated irrigation system in order to water their crops and bring water to the people. They could rely on the Nile to do this with assurance that nothing catastrophic could happen. The Nile also provided the Egyptians with an easy and safe way of transportation. The wind which blew in the opposite


References: Manning, J. G. 2005. "[The Gift of the Nile]." Classical Journal 100, no. 3: 322-325. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2013). Winlock, H. E. 1940. "The Origin of the Ancient Egyptian Calendar". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 83 (3): 447-464. Education Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 5,2013). Dellapenna, Joseph W. 1996. "The two rivers and the lands between: Mesopotamia and the international law of transboundary waters." BYU Journal Of Public Law 10, no. 2: 213. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 5, 2013). Nüsser, Marcus, Susanne Schmidt, and Juliane Dame. 2012. "Irrigation and Development in the Upper Indus Basin". Mountain Research and Development. 32 (1): 51-61. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 5, 2013).
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