According to Jared Diamond, geography has been the major influence of the past historic events. The issue of domesticating animals and planting crops was greatly dictated by geographical location of places and not the knowledge of people living in these areas. Establishment of various technologies as well as emergence of diseases depended also on the geographical features. These features did not only influence distribution of crops and animals but also played a role in establishment of empires and dynasties.
Taking a review of areas where varied farming and other technological activities are said to have started, it is possible to discover that most of what led to emergence of these activities was greatly influenced by geographical factors of the area. In areas like Mesopotamia and Turkey where it is believed to be the origin of agriculture, geographical factors of the region such as its topography and environmental factors favoured existence of various crops and animals. The range of domesticable animals and crops in Eurasian was wide compared to other areas. Other regions had only one or even no domesticable animals and crops. The latitude of the region played a vital role in predicting the climatic conditions of the area. This in respect determined the type of activities that could be undertaken in the region. Migrating from one region to another with similar latitudes meant that it was possible for communities to adopt the same type of crops and animals they had been used to rearing. For instance, American natives migrating from north to south were forced to adopt new types of crops and animals due to variation in latitudes of the two regions thus varying climate (Diamond, 1997, P. 84).
Distribution of wild animals depended also on climatic conditions of various regions. This was the reason why some communities managed to domestic certain animals while other could not. Sub-Saharan African region was rich in undomesticated mammals while Eurasian region had passive animals such as horses, goats, sheep and pigs. Africans, due to geographic accident had to interact with dangerous animals such as lions and leopards. Most of the crops and animals reared in Africa today were brought by some communities from other regions. As Europeans arrived in South Africa, they found khois who were hunters and gatherers. This led to introduction of farming based on crops brought from Europe. It is believed that geographic factors did not only support growth of crops and rearing of animals but also establishment of empires. Favourable geographical features in Asian region led to establishment of superior empires. On the other hand, presence of numerous physical barriers in Europe hampered the efforts of coming up with a single empire leading to establishment of numerous states (Diamond, 1997, PP. 86-90).
Today, most of the developed countries in the world owe their prosperity to their geographical locations. Some may argue that they have developed due to technological knowledge or availability of capital but these could not have been realised without the region having favourable geographic factors. For instance, America is believed to develop at a high rate due to various geographical factors. The continent had favourable climate as well as fertile soil that allowed growth of various crops. These are some of the reasons that led to most people migrating to the continent in search for land to grow raw materials for their industries. Consequently, there was establishment of numerous industries in the continent leading to its rapid development. The present day level of development in America can be said to have originated from this initial industrialization in the continent.
Reference
Diamond, J. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W. W. Norton, 1997.