What are the Effects of Topography on the Lives of People?

Prehistoric People

• Archaeologists study cultures. Records of historic and pre-historic cultures show that people have always been affected by the topography of the place they live. Some examples include the kinds of animals that early hunters hunted. Also, the kinds of rocks available in a particular area would dictate what kind of tools people would use to hunt, cook and build shelter. Compare the grass huts built in areas of the British Isles in ancient times to the ice houses or igloos of people living above the Arctic Circle.

Mobility

• Topography can determine the mobility of people. A culture that lives high on mountaintops will have to create elaborate ways to get down from the mountaintops if natural routes don't exist. People living near bodies of water such as rivers or oceans often develop some form of water transport, from simple kayaks to large sea vessels. People who lived near flood plains such as the delta of the Nile in Africa or the Mississippi River Delta in North America often found the need to move their villages if the water rose too high in a particular year.

Economy

• Throughout human history, the topography of a place helps create the human economy in the area. Some cultures thrive from the resources in their area while others collapse. A drought can destroy an economy. An area with a seaport can develop a thriving trade economy with people from near and far away. Cities such as Calcutta on the Bay of Bengal, San Francisco, and Rio de Janeiro welcomed ships from around the world in order to develop a diverse economy.

Give and Take

• In areas such as California, the give and take relationship between people and their environment is evident. When people populate an area where nature corrects itself through wildfires, they affect the local topography by clearing areas that would normally have wildfires. A wildfire can be a catastrophic event for people living in the area. A stable balance between the people living in these areas and the natural wildfires is an ongoing struggle. The presence of people leaving behind combustible garbage or careless disposal of flammables can increase the risk of fires. Controlled burns clear out areas near populations in order to prevent fires.