Rivers help geographer to understand how civilizations developed in several main ways. 1. If there is a river near an old civilization, you know where the civilization got their water from. 2. The civilization could have used the river for exporting and importing goods. 3. The civilization could have gone extinct or failed because of the river flooding.
Rivers were used a water source. They were also used as borders. This is how land was divided amongst different settlements. They can also be used for boats to import and export.
