Geographic determinism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geographic determinism is a theory that the human habits and characteristics of a particular culture are shaped by geographic conditions. Espoused by Huntington. The theory looked at the rise and fall of the Roman Empire from 400-500 A.D. Much of the fall of the empire had to do with a regional drought which decreased the fertility of the land and agriculture output. The lack of food from this event strained the empire and exacerbated the political situation to the point of collapse. The theory has grown to encompass all environmental and geographic conditions and their impact on the social, political and economic forces of a society. Technology is seen as the only way to mitigate risks associated with Geographic Determinism.