Geographic Luck and Civilizations

These flashcards cover key concepts and details from the lecture notes on geographic luck and civilizations.

Civilizations tend to have characteristics such as __, which are cities supporting large populations.

Cities & Monuments

A civilization has a class system based on __, race, gender, or job type.

wealth

The governing body in a civilization is responsible for creating __ that people must follow.

rules & laws

In a civilization, individuals specialize in jobs other than farming, such as __ and soldiering.

knife making

Civilizations are characterized by their ability to record information through __.

writing

People in a civilization are able to develop their __ by creating music, dance, and art.

culture

Geographic Luck is the idea that some settlements were located in places with many positive __ features.

geographic

Fertile soil is important because it is good for farming and increases the amount of __ grown.

food

A __ climate is one that is not too cold or hot, providing good conditions for farming.

temperate

A significant factor in the emergence of civilizations is the presence of a __ source.

fresh water

Many early River Valley Civilizations developed near __, which provided fresh water and fertile soil for farming.

major rivers

Large seeded grasses, such as wheat and oats, were essential for civilizations because they could be turned into __.

food

Domestication is when an entire species of animals is __ for human needs.

tamed

The majority of large mammals suitable for domestication originated in __ or near River Valley Civilizations.

Eurasia

Jared Diamond emphasizes that geographic luck refers to the availability of resources necessary for supporting __ populations.

large

The first four River Valley Civilizations share a similar line of __ and climate zone, which aided their development.

latitude