Human and Physical Geography

Throughout history, geographical features have influenced the development of civilizations and regions. Geographic features have both promoted and limited interactions with other civilizations and regions. Geography is the study of the Earth and the relationship of humans with their environment. Two geographic features are the Nile River and the Sahara Desert.

The Nile River is the longest river of the world. It is also considered the breadbasket of the world since it has provided the Egyptian civilization with many riches. It provides fertile land ideal for farming. How does it have fertile land if it rarely rains in Egypt? When the river floods, it brings silt/fertile soil along with it which is ideal for planting crops. Since there are acres of fertile land ready for farming, food is produced massively. Besides supplying Egyptians with food, it helped in the transporting and trading of goods with other regions in a quick way.

The Sahara Desert has been expanding at a rapid pace. As a result, fertile land would be ruined and food cannot be produced. The Bantu people migrated South and East in search for fertile land because the North had already been desertificated and dried out. Aside from the negative impacts of the Sahara Desert’s expansion, it promoted cultural diffusion as well as cultural diversity. As the Bantu moved South, they spread their culture throughout Southern Africa.

In the end, geographical features have indeed influenced the development of civilizations and regions. Geographic features have both promoted and limited interactions with other civilizations/regions. Geography shapes our actions towards the environment; geography shapes