Draft:The Influence of Geography on Economic History

Geography and Economic History

Location remains one of the core factors defining economic history, given its impact on markets, resources, and positioning. Geographical location and economic events are complex since they dictate the existence or otherwise of civilizations in historical times.

Trade and Transportation

Some of the earliest developed modes of transport included twine ferrying across these water bodies. For instance, the Nile River in Egypt facilitated transport of agricultural produce and goods among other necessities that helped facilitate one of the earliest and indeed most developed civilizations. Likewise, the Yangtze River promoted the economic exchange and integration of China through the transportation of rice and other products. To this day, such bodies of water as the Mississippi play a significant role in conveying agricultural produce from Midwestern states to the global market through the Gulf of Mexico. Another trade route that has been vital involves the Rhine River in Europe that helped in linking several countries and improving commerce in the region. On the other hand, physical barriers like mountains and deserts can pose obstacles to trade. Mountain ranges like the Himalayas have often times sheltered areas such as Tibet whereby commerce with other countries is restricted though these mountains have helped in the preservation of indigenous cultures. These are the constraints that characterized trans-Saharan trade namely: Another constraint characteristic of the Sahara Desert is that trade caravans, which depended on nomadic sources of water, were limited in the months of the year when water and pasture are scarce. Nevertheless, certain roads like the Khyber Pass have turned into important arteries connecting South Asian nations and the Central Asian states notwithstanding the geographical barriers of mountains. In addition, subsequent developments in transportation technology like railroads and highways have reduced some geographical barriers over time thus enabling greater levels of economic integration.

Climate and Agriculture

Climate is the other geographical element that that has a great impact on economic growth. Climatic factors on geographical location also play an important role towards economic growth. The temperate Euro-Asian regions are productively used for agriculture because of the longer growing period, good soil quality and favorable climate. For instance, Mediterranean climate suits agriculture particularly via olive oil production as it has given a big boost to Southern EU economy industrial. This of course can only work if effective irrigation methods are applied as most regions with a desert climate have poor conditions for agriculture. Some of the desert regions have been transformed into really productive farmlands due to the invention of such technologies as drip irrigation. Furthermore, climate change creates variability that produces major economic impacts. Developments in last 1000 years including the Little Ice Age brought about significant effects in the ability of European farming to produce enough food to feed its population hence causing various rise in social upheavals. Likewise, present day climatic change threatens agriculture production all over the world and this is a threat to food security and stability of poor economy prone areas.

Historical Context

In the past, location has always determined the extent to which a particular civilization could develop. The Fertile Crescent is several areas of the Middle East that have suitable ground to support agriculture due to the rains from the Mediterranean. Because of these conditions, this area became a birthplace of several earliest world civilizations. On the other hand, areas of unfavorable geography therefore had their back broken in the sense that they could not easily build strong economies. In colonial times geographical factors came in handy especially when European powers were looking for resources. The setting up of colonies quite often was based on various parameters; more important of them being geographical advantages, specifically, the colonies were established along the coasts so that they could be easily connected to the sea trade networks. Atlantic Slave Trade represented how oceans linked continents for resource purposes, and it fixed long-term social and economical effects on both sides of the Atlantic.

Modern Implications

To this day, geography remains one of the most prominent determinants of economic fate in a global sense. For example, having access to the sea brings opportunities for maritime trade not normally available to landlocked countries. Countries such as Singapore is a perfect example where its geographical placement in enhancing direct access to major seaways has enabled it not only to exist but also thrive. On the other hand, land-locked nations such as Afghanistan suffer from increased costs of transportation which can hamper economic growth. Although technology has softened some of the geographic constraints due to improved communication technologies, geography still plays a great role in determining economic policies. With their tech-first strategy to achieve economic development, countries restarting are offered a comparative edge over others. Switzerland has a developed economy, despite having no access to the sea; this is due in large part infrastructure and services

References

https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/cid/publications/faculty-working-papers/geography-and-economic-development

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/016001799761012334

https://www.bb.org.bd/pub/research/workingpaper/wp1615.pdf

https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199874002/obo-9780199874002-0146.xml

https://study.com/academy/lesson/how-geographical-features-impact-economic-activity.html