To begin, it would only seem right to explain the background of Africa itself before going into the methods through which its development was affected by the geography of the region. The continent of African was one that has been said to have rain forests, but that statement has been countered numerous times. In addition, the region had seafaring trade with numerous other civilizations and deserts that both hindered, and benefited certain civilizations. The agricultural aspects and benefits of the region played a role in its geography, making it a key element in the scale of development of the region and impacting it immensely. The Nile River, in particular, was an aspect of agriculture whose impact on African societies would change the way we see it today.
Mineral wealth flowed out of Moroë and luxury goods in Arabia and India flowed in When Roman Empire thrived, trans-Saharan route revived as one of the most important trading routes connecting Africa and Eurasia. During the days of this era, Africa supplied Italy with gold and wild animals, and Rome supplied luxury goods and some of the techniques from scientific product to city-building. The major change of functioning of trans-Saharan route was brought about by the use of the domesticated camel and the development of camel saddle. some camel bones have been found recently in the Senegal valley helped archeologist assume that the use of camel dates back to 300 A.D. Guide by Berber, which have begun in trade between northern Africa and kingdom of Ghana in about 500 A.D also helped the route thrive, ensuring safe trade passage. [ Through this development, the usage of trans-Saharan routes increased, and enabled Eurasian people to contact more often with southern Africa.
The Ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the “black land” and the “red land. “ The “black land” was the fertile land on the banks of the Nile, and was mainly used as a growing land for their crops because of their deposition of rich, black silt every year after the Nile flood. The “red land” consisted of a barren desert and acted as natural barrier to protect Egypt from invasions by neighboring countries. Despite being a desert, it was a source of precious metals and semi-precious stones. The ancient Egyptians believed that it was important to record and communicate information about the religion and government.
Gift of the Nile In Egyptian civilization, the River Nile was the source of life for the early Egyptians. The Greek historian, Herodotus, in the fifth century B.C.E. called Egypt the “gift of the Nile.” The Nile river is located in Africa, the river is the longest river in the world. The early Egyptians had to rely on this river for irrigation and agriculture. Not only did they use the river for water and food, they also used the river for main transportation and trading goods.
Whereas, Mesopotamia was known as the “land between the river” due to the fact that it was stuck right between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Both civilizations were located by riversides, which supported them with fertile land helped create the base of their success. The Egyptians were more blessed in this because they had realized there vast natural resources because of the Nile River. Unlike the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, they had the benefits of the river flooding which would flood in September and leave perfect fertilized soil for the planting season. Egypt also grew papyrus reeds, had good fishing, and hunted animals by the river banks.
Since the majority of the population was based in small farming villages along the Nile, agriculture was the basis for their economy (history.com). In the early dynastic period Memphis was founded near the apex of the Nile delta. Therefore the capital had access to the Nile as a water highway. Thus making it simple to ship all kinds of goods and raw materials. This helped established Egypt's vast wealth and culture.
Papyrus made it easier for the Egyptians to write. As the Egyptian civilization grew, their way of life expanded based on their achievements. Like Egypt, the Indus River Valley was another great civilization. In the Indus River Valley they found artifacts such as clay, wooden children’s toys, pottery, small statues, and seals used to mark trade items. One of their most remarkable achievements was their city planning.
Additionally, Portugal had an unusually strong national identity, due to its natural geographic borders, allowing the pooling of the considerable economic resources necessary to fund these ambitious explorations. Additionally Portugal's extended contact with Islam, and therefore with its superior mathematical knowledge and sailing technologies, including sail shapes, hull designs, and maritime weaponry, resulted in a Portuguese fleet capable of negotiating the high Atlantic seas. As a consequence, most of the West African coast was explored in the period from 1415 into the 1600s. Preserved maps from this period show a remarkably accurate understanding of the complicated coastline. African exports consisted primarily of gold, ivory, and pepper.
India also helped developed the complex system of trade. Because India was located in between two essential trade ports, it became vital to storage of many valuable goods. Traders would leave their goods in India and other traders from other parts of southern Asia would collect them. Which is part of the reason that India was home to many warehouses. India itself traded sugar and cotton.
China, for example, supplied West Asia and the Mediterranean world with silk, while spices were obtained principally from South Asia. These goods were transported over vast distances— either by pack animals overland or by seagoing ships—along the Silk and Spice Routes, which were the main arteries of contact between the various ancient empires of the Old World. Another important trade route, known as the Incense Route, was controlled by the Arabs, who brought frankincense and myrrh by camel caravan from South Arabia. Cities along these trade routes grew rich providing services to merchants and acting as international marketplaces. Some, like Palmyra and Petra on the fringes of the Syrian Desert, flourished mainly as centers of trade supplying merchant caravans and policing the trade routes.