The Nile River was a significant physical geographic factor that contributed to the development of the Egyptian society. Egypt has always been predominantly a desert country. 94.5% is desert, arid and semi-arid rangelands. The other 5.5% is known now as the Nile River Basin (El-Nahrawy, 2011). Flood waters from the Nile leave silt on the ground creating fertile soil that is productive in growth of vegetation. In 5000 B.C.E. Nomadic tribes settled this “black land” (Canadian Museum of History, n.d.).
Egyptians successful life was made possible thanks to the mighty Nile River. Along the banks fruit trees grew and the river was abundant with fish. There was plenty of water for irrigation so they began growing and …show more content…
acquired undisputed ownership of the Mississippi River as part of the Louisiana Purchase add to that the invention of the steamboat in 1811 and you have the ingredients for a successful trade route and a recipe for economic growth for the whole country. By 1819, 191 steamships were calling at New Orleans. It cheaper to send freight using the Mississippi River as well as10 times faster than previous routes through the Appellation Mountains. Plantations shipped local crops on ships that were dropping of manufactured goods from the other end of the country. The Mississippi River not only increased trade and spurred economic growth; it also brought physical growth as well. New towns were established on both banks of the Mississippi. With the increase in new towns came competitive bidding for goods and services. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie and towns vied with one another to provide these services such as fueling or warehouse storage for overstock. The Mississippi is still a modern day commercial asset even though the steamships have been replaced by gas powered tugboats pulling 30 barges at one time (Schaetzl, 2015).
A gold deposit found in the Sacramento Valley was another physical geographic factor that contributed to the expansion of the United States. In 1848 the discovery of gold nuggets in California started a stampede of prospectors to the west increasing California’s population from 800 non-native citizens in 1847 to 100,000 by the end of 1849 (History.com Staff,