Geographic Development in the United States and Egypt Ally Averill

Geographic Development in the United States and Egypt Ally Averill

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The United States and Egypt are over 5,600 miles apart, therefore it would be easy to assume that they have little in common. Egypt is usually regarded as being a land of dry, hot desert; and the United States is known for its varied geography and abundant coastline. What many people don't know is that Egypt and the United States share a lot in common when it comes to their geography. The Nile river in Egypt and the Mississippi river in the U.S. can be considered as twins. Also, both the United States and Egypt contain a region known as a breadbasket, which is a place that cultivates enough food to provide to other areas in the country. People migrated towards these specific regions of Egypt and the United States because they had a plethora of agriculture, job and living opportunities. These geographic features have helped to shape and develop the early civilizations in both countries.

Egypt, one of the world's greatest and oldest civilizations, would not have thrived if it had not been for the Nile. Herodotus, the Greek historian, described ancient Egypt as "Gift of the Nile." Ancient Egyptian civilization emerged over 5,000 years ago, and the resource that helped to structure Egypt through this time was the Nile river. The Nile river had a strong influence on ancient Egypt's agriculture, geography, and religion. Farmers took advantage of the fertile soil around the Nile and in the Nile delta to grow crops such as wheat and flax. As the farmers began to produce more food, more people migrated to Egypt and settled in the Nile Valley. Egypt soon became known as a "breadbasket" because it produced large enough amounts of food to export to other parts of the Mediterranean region of the world. A powerful civilization emerged in the Nile Valley of people that depended on the control of the Nile waters and the yearly floods that the Nile produced. According to the Natural Resources Managementand Environment Department, 97% of Egypt's water comes from the NIle. The annual flooding of the Nile influenced the agriculture and religion of the ancient Egyptians. After the Nile waters rose and flooded, the land around it was soaked with silt-laden waters that fertilized the soil and helped the crops to thrive. Every year after the Nile flooded its banks, the Egyptians offered thanks and praise. They believed that the Nile flooded every year because the goddess Isis was crying tears of sorrow for her dead husband, the god Osiris. The Nile also helped to unite the land in ancient Egypt. Ancient Egypt consisted of two regions: Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Around 3100 B.C., Menes, the King of Upper egypt at the time, used the Nile as a highway to connect Upper and Lower Egypt. Officials and armies could travel along the river as well as merchants, who used the Nile as a trade route. Thus, the Nile helped turn Egypt into the world's first unified state.

If you were to compare the geography of Egypt to that of the U.S., then the sister river of the Nile would be the MIssissippi river. The Mississippi river has been a vital factor in the physical and economic growth of the United States, and is arguably the most important river in the U.S. The first people to live among the banks and in the delta region of the Mississippi river were Native Americans. These Native American tribes formed prolific agricultural societies dependent on the rich, silt laden soil of the Mississippi. These days a significant amount of

our country's corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, and cotton is grown in the basin of the Mississippi. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the market value of our agricultural products grown in the Mississippi river basin is more than $54 billion dollars annually. The Louisiana Purchase opened up the Mississippi river for commerce in 1803 . Before the Louisiana Purchase was signed, the French had control of Louisiana and the Mississippi river, which meant that the Americans couldn't use it as a trade route or for transportation. Americans used the Mississippi river for transportation and to trade commerce with the help of steamboats in the 19th century. The importance of the Mississippi as a travel route continued to shape the regionaround it and helped to develop the interior of our country. Many jobs were developed which depended upon the Mississippi river, including manufacturing and timber harvesting. These job opportunities caused more people to settle around the Mississippi river. During the 1800s, immigrants used the MIssissippi to travel and settle,