Dalhart Dobbs

Ms. Pietrone

World Regional Geography

April 26, 2018

LEQ Long Essay Question

Using specific examples, analyze the impact that geography has had on the development of

civilizations from prehistory to present day

All throughout Europe there are many different geographical features that either helpl or

hurt civilizations around them. Being an island helps the United Kingdom, having the Nile

helped Egypt, and having the Swiss Alps helped Italy. Those statements show just how much

geography affects the development of a civilization. Geography doesn’t only affect the area

develop in a good way, it can also slow the progress of a growing civilization in the way being a

desert hurt Egypt, being confined to an island limited the Aztecs, and how the plains made parts

of Europe easier to conquer. Geography affected the development of all civilizations, but it has

impacted the continent of Europe the most.

Most countries in Europe have a distinct geographical feature whether it be a mountain

range, river, plain, sea, or the actual shape of the country and no matter what it is , it is bound to

have impact on the development of the civilization. Italy is what it is today because it is a

peninsula an because of the Swiss Alps. Because Italy has water on three sides of it, it is easily

accessible for trade via the water but it still has connection to land making it not completely

trapped in a body of water in the case of the United Kingdom. All mountains form barriers
because trade has to go around them, and conquerors also have to go around them. All of the

features of Italy have helped it to develop into the country that it is today.

The United Kingdom is another country that has been greatly impacted by geographical

features. The fact that it is an island makes it separated from other countries which could be

willing to trade or be willing to attack. With the United Kingdom being an island it could be

attacked from any angles. The fact that the water left them vulnerable caused the creation of the

navy of the United Kingdom. With the navy being so strong they haven’t been conquered since

the fifteen hundreds. Most nations that are an island or peninsula have a great navy in the case of

the United Kingdom and in the case of Japan.

Overall, the many different geographical features present in Europe have cause it to

develop into the continent that it is today. Europe has become a hub of trade and enterprise and

that is due to how it all started in the peninsula of peninsulas.