Many Early Politically Complex Societies Were Based on River Systems

question 7

Essay

Many early politically complex societies were based on river systems. In contrast, Mesoamerica did not have a defining river. What rivers were critical to Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and Harappa? How were Mesoamerican civilizations so successful, despite this difference from other world centers?

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Definitions:

Electromagnetic Radiation

A form of energy that is propagated through space or matter, including radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.

Absorption

The process by which one substance takes up or takes in another substance, at the molecular or ionic level.

Frequency

The number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time, often used in the context of waves (e.g., sound waves, electromagnetic waves).

Inversely Proportional

A relationship between two variables where as one variable increases, the other variable decreases at a corresponding rate.