World Geography: Human/Environment Interaction
This lesson describes how geography has affected the development of civilizations. It also examines the relationships between the environment and the development of societies.
Nationhood and Statehood
Geography is the study of where people, places, and things are located and how each of these relates to the others.
A nation is a culturally defined group that has a shared past and desires a shared future. Nationhood relates to territory and political goals. Nations can be formed based on the following characteristics:
- Ethnicity
- Language
- Religion
- Physical geography
For example, Kosovo is a nation that was created out of the former Yugoslavia by ethnic Albanians who are Muslims and compose a majority of the population.
| Name | Location | Bordering Nations | Population |
| Republic of Kosovo | Balkan area of Europe | Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro | Muslim majority Serbian minority |
Language affects the formations of nations. Two examples are South Africa and Russia.
| Country | Location | Official Language |
| Russia | Europe and Asia | 35 languages; Russian, based on the Cyrillic alphabet, is the official language |
| South Africa | Africa | 11 languages including Swahili, African dialects, and Dutch Afrikaner; Swahili is the official language. |
Religion can divide a nation and lead to the creation of a new nation. For example, Northern Ireland, a Protestant nation, shares the island of Ireland with the Republic of Ireland, a Catholic country.
Physical geography affects how nations are formed and how civilizations develop. River valleys and oceans are two examples of physical geography that have affected how nations form.
| Body of Water or Waters | Country |
| Nile River valley | Egypt |
| Indus River valley | India |
| Yellow River and Yangtze River valley | China |
| Amazon River | Brazil |
| Atlantic and Pacific Oceans | United States |
Physical geography affected the development of classical civilizations. Examples include the Maya, Rome, Greece, China, and India.
| Group | Empire or Name | Location | Contributions |
| Maya | Mayan Empire | Central America and Mexico; modern-day Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize | Hieroglyphic writing system; concept of zero; calendar |
| Greeks | Classical Greece | Mediterranean area of Europe | Philosophers; epics; poetry; drama and comedy (theater); Ionic, Doric, and Corinthian architecture; democracy |
| Romans | Classical Rome and Roman Empire | Mediterranean area of Europe | Roads, aqueducts, arches; legal system |
| Guptas | Gupta Dynasty | India | Advances in math, astronomy, arts, and technology |
| Hans | Han Dynasty | China | Historiography; silk trade; centralized government. |
| Qin | Qin Dynasty (first in China) | China | Standardized alphabetic script; Great Wall; terra cotta warriors |
Statehood means being recognized as an independent state or country. Elements of statehood are
- territory;
- population;
- government; and
- political goals.
KEEP IN MIND . . .
Nations can be formed because of language, geography, religion, ethnicity or a combination of these factors.
Examples of states are Germany and Poland in Europe, Argentina and Bolivia in South America, and Michigan and Texas in the United States.
Example
Which civilization developed because of a fertile river valley?
A. Polish
B. Peruvian
C. Egyptian
D. Canadian
The correct answer is C. The Nile River valley provided fishing and a fertile soil for the development of agriculture.
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