coastal belts—­Evolution of ports—­Influence of offshore islands—­Previous habitat of coast-dwellers—­Habitability of coasts as a factor in maritime development—­Geographic conditions for brilliant maritime development—­Scope and importance of seaward expansion—­Ethnic contrast between coast and interior peoples—­Ethnic amalgamations of coastlands—­Lingua franca a product of coasts—­Coast-dwellers as middlemen—­Differentiation of coast from inland people—­Early civilization of coasts—­Progress from thalassic to oceanic coasts—­Importance of geographic location of coasts—­Historical decline of certain coasts—­Complex interplay of geographic factors in coastlands.

CHAPTER IX.  OCEANS AND ENCLOSED SEAS

The water a factor in man’s mobility—­Oceans and seas the factor of union in universal history—­Origin of navigation—­Primitive forms—­Relation of river to marine navigation—­Retarded and advanced navigation—­Geographic conditions in Polynesia—­Mediterranean versus Atlantic seamanship—­Three geographic stages of maritime development—­Enclosed seas as areas of ethnic and cultural assimilation—­Assimilation facilitated by ethnic kinship—­Importance of zonal and continental location of enclosed seas—­Thalassic character of the Indian Ocean—­Limitations of small area in enclosed seas—­Successive maritime periods in history—­Contrasted historical roles of northern and southern hemispheres—­Size of the ocean—­Neutrality of the seas—­Mare clausum and Mare liberum.

CHAPTER X. MAN’S RELATION TO THE WATER

The protection of a water frontier—­Pile villages of ancient times—­Modern pile dwellings—­Their geographic distribution—­River-dwellers in old and popular lands—­Man’s encroachment upon the sea by reclamation of land—­The struggle with the water—­Mound villages in river flood-plains—­Social and political gain by control of the water—­A factor in early civilization of arid lands—­The economy of the water—­Fisheries—­Factors in maritime expansion—­Fisheries as nurseries of seamen—­Anthropo-geographic importance of navigation.

CHAPTER XI.  THE ANTHROPO-GEOGRAPHY OF RIVERS

Rivers as intermediaries between land and sea—­Sea navigation merges into river navigation—­Historical importance of seas and oceans influenced by their debouching streams—­Lack of coast articulations supplied by rivers—­River highways as basis of commercial preeminence—­Importance of rivers in large countries—­Rivers as highways of expansion—­Determinants of routes in arid or semi-arid lands—­Increasing historical importance of rivers from source to mouth—­Value of location at hydrographic centers—­Effect of current upon trade and expansion—­Importance of mouth to upstream people—­Prevention of monopoly of river mouths—­Motive for canals in lower course—­Watershed canals for extension