Geographic features can positively or negatively affect the development of a nation or region. This can be shown by discussing the civilizations of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt and how rivers influenced their cultures.

In the beginning of time early civilizations, like Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt would travel in groups of 20-30 people. They would follow a heard of animals for food. People like Mesopotamians discovered that when you spread wheat and barley across the ground, crops grew. Due to this discovery, Mesopotamians and ancient Egyptians could now settle in one place and still supply their people with enough food. This point in time is known as the Neolithic Revolution. The Neolithic Revolution was a time when early man learned how to grow crops and domesticate animals. The Neolithic Revolution was thought to take place in the Great Rift Valley of Eastern Africa.

Mesopotamia is located in Iraq of the...