Question

How has the geography of the United States influenced our history and culture?

Answer 1

Geography is the study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and the interaction and interrelationship between human beings and physical environment including the distribution of populations and resources and political and economic activities. History is the record of human activities in the bygone days comprising civilizational marches in different periods spent in the lap of time. Geography is primarily spatial and environmental and history is temporal.

A perusal into the world history squarely establishes the fact that history is mostly shaped and enriched by prevalent geographical settings. Geographical attributes such as river, mountains barriers, landforms, climate phenomena are natural foundations upon which the edifices of human history at any time or in any geographical regions are erected. Rivers, known as the cradle of human civilization, have played an enviable role in setting the civilizational wheel on move. The early civilizations that formed along the Nile River in Egypt, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East, the Yangtze River in China, or the Ganges River of India provide the rudimentary structure to human history. Each development had a lasting influence on history. Considering the impregnable nature in the early period, big rivers provided many advantages like constant supply of clean, fresh water for humans, their crops and animals, easy means of transportation and exploration, protection against invasion, food etc. Rivers allowed the Vikings to raid far into inland Europe, and the Mississippi River made it far easier for Europeans to explore North America.

Geographical features like mountains and plains have had equally profound impact on human history. Mountains invariably influence the history of many countries. In the past, these lofty physical features perennially guarded against foreign invasions and restricted movement of settlers, traders and travellers at various times. Mountains and mountain passes have had historic effects because of their military significance. The three hundred Spartan soldiers who held off Xerxes and his thousands of Persian warriors at the pass at Thermopylae saved ancient Greece from being conquered by the Persian Empire. The defense of the Iron Gap, a pass through the Carpathian Mountains, kept the nomadic hordes of Huns from capturing parts of Europe and the the Kesselring Line in Italy's northern Alps temporarily fended off Allied troops from entering Germany at the end of World War II. The invincible northern mountains mostly restricted the number of invaders from Central Asia and Europe though some dared to reach Indian subcontinent through dangerous passes. Even large flat plains have important impact on the lifestyle and history of their inhabitants as in case of the tribes of the Great Plains of North America, the Tartars of the Siberian Plain and the Tuaregs of the flat sandy plains of North Africa. The vast expanse and domestication of horses have greatly influenced the indigenous culture and history of these areas.

The climate aspect of geography also largely influences the history and its characteristics. The combination of weather and land features, in which civilization lives, is especially powerful catalyst of history of a region. The major cities of North Africa all lie to the north of the Atlas Mountains, an area of reliable rainfall. The area to the south of the mountains is home to the desert tribes and a completely different history and lifestyle.

The temperate climate, limited space, proximity to sea that made them sea-faring and lack of adequate natural resources perhaps made most of European nation states colonialise almost the whole of the world to satiate their economic and political passions. It redefined the human history and devoured a major chunk of medieval and modern history of mankind. Or else, history would have taken a different course. Geography, therefore, is the steering force that moves history rolling and history stands a mute traveller on the varied terrain of geography.