how does geography help explain bioth the present and the past?
Geography helps explain the past by showing what favorable and unfavorable features helped develop our history.
Examples:
* In ancient times, people in the Middle East and Egypt lived in a very dry climate. Their civilizations grew up along rivers which the people used for personal use as well as irrigation.
* The Americas weren't found by Europeans for thousands of years after Asians settle here because of the huge size of the Atlantic Ocean.
* My home state didn't get many settlers for a long time because they assumed that the state was like the swamps they encountered between what is now Detroit and Toledo.
Geography helps explain the present by showing under what conditions people are living now.
Examples:
* Proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and heavy rains brought about the devastating floods in New Orleans a few years ago.
* Saudi Arabia is a rich country because it has a lot of oil.
* Winter coats are not needed in Bangkok, Thailand because the temperature is usually in the 80s and 90s.
* Increasing desertification in North Africa is caused by drought and climate changes
I'm sure you can think of other examples.