Geographical features have a tremendous impact on the development of cultures, civilizations and ethnic groups.  Imposing features such as mountain ranges, deserts, or large bodies of water have a tendency to both isolate and protect.  The path of historical beginnings often is dictated by what geographical features are present.

Diversity in Europe
Europe is the host of numerous ethnic and cultural groups.  The biggest geographical impact on Europe is the Mediterranean Sea.  The early empires of Greece and that of Rome were highly successful because of their locality on the Mediterranean.  In fact, the known world basically consisted of whatever culture had a connection with the Mediterranean.  Also, any cultural diffusion that occurred with any non-European culture was made possible only through the Mediterranean.  The great civilizations of Greece, which is dominated by the city-state of Athens, prospered and then dominated, directly because of its connection to the water.  Also, the mountainous aspect of the Greek peninsula resulted in the formation of city-states instead of one unified Greek nation.

The Roman Empire, preceded by the Roman Republic, likewise dominated the Mediterranean because of developments in sailing and military.  The Roman Empire eventually spread throughout most of Europe.  Other early Mediterranean cultures include the Persian Empire, the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, and a number of Middle Eastern cultures, including more recent Arab culture.  After the Romans and the subsequent feudalistic  Middle Ages, a number of nation-states arose in the vicinity of the Mediterranean, namely Portugal and Spain, the first European superpowers.  Eventually, focus was drawn away from the Mediterranean by a new power in England.

England was able to dominate world affairs and then maintain it directly because of geography.  England is located on an island which offers supreme protection, an example being the failed attack of the Spanish Armada.  This geographical protection played a role into the 20th century when, in WWII, Hitler was unable to successfully invade Great Britain. 

To dominate the affairs of Europe, access to warm-water ports was essential.  The entire role of the Scandinavian Viking culture and its impact on Europe was directly related to water.  Likewise, the early history of Russia, which is actually located in Asia but historically entwined with European culture, shows that its desire for dominance is linked with the desperate need for a warm-water port.  Peter the Great failed but Catherine the Great succeeded in this strategic goal through a series of wars.  Therefore, geography is so important that even war can be justified. 

Diversity in Asia
Asia is vastly diverse in both region and people.  Asia includes all of Russia, the subcontinent of India, the vast territories of China, numerous island-nations such as Japan, and many more countries with very distinct people and histories.  A number of geographic aspects dominates Asia.  The most important is the Himalayan Mountain Range, the largest in the world.  Simply by comparing the cultures, peoples, and histories of India and China, it is obvious that the Himalayas had a profound effect in isolating and protecting each culture from the other. 

The Gobi Desert has equally proven effective in protecting and isolating China from Russia and its diverse culture.  In fact, China is surrounded by a protective, geographic triangle made up of the Himalayas, the Gobi Desert, and the seas of its eastern border. 

The small island-nation of Japan has relied heavily on the protection of the Pacific Ocean which has dominated its history, from the failed invasion of the Mongol Horde to World War II and even to the present.  The Pacific has provided food, culture, and economics for Japan from the days of its first settlement.  Today, as in the past, Japan has had to rely on foreign trade to provide the natural resources not provided by the islands, however.  The development of extremely diverse Asian cultures has been directly impacted by the geography of the area.

Diversity in Africa
Besides its sheer immensity, the continent of Africa is dominated by one solitary geographic feature; the Sahara Desert.  Africa is split into North Africa, made up of nations above the Sahara on the Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa, any country located to the south of the gigantic desert.  To comprehend this expanse of territory consider the following: walking east to west across the Sahara would be like walking from Portland, Maine to San Francisco, California (3000 miles) without seeing life, water, only sand and rock in blistering heat!  This imposing desert was extremely effective in the development of distinct cultures in the north and the south.  Simply put, not many were willing to journey across it.  However, the presence of Islam in Western Africa is directly related to Islamic trade routes traveling from North Africa. 

Another significant geographic feature is the Regular Coastline of Africa.  A regular coastline has no natural harbors, which makes landing a ship near impossible.  This feature protected most of Africa from European explorers for centuries.  Finally, another important geographical feature in Africa is the Nile River, the world's largest river.  The Nile was the source of many of the world's first major civilizations, including Egypt.  Other less imposing geographic features include the vast jungles of the Congo, and the Kalahari Desert in the south. 

Diversity in Latin America
History in Latin America is split into two distinct halves separated by the arrival of Europe.  Geography played a role in each half.  Pre-Columbian history surrounds the civilizations of the Maya, the Aztec, and the Inca.  The Maya, located on the Mexican peninsula called the Yucatan, prospered and declined before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.  The Aztecs, of present day Mexico City, lacked any real geographic protection but compensated with sheer ferocity, though still not enough to stop the Spanish.  The Inca culture was protected by the Andes Mountains, but even this mighty range would not be able to curtail the Spanish pursuit of gold and power.  The many islands of the Caribbean will have a diverse history reaching into the present.  Also, the huge rain forest surrounding the world's second largest river, the Amazon, has dominated recent history because of the environmental disaster of deforestation.  The only truly significant geographic feature that shaped Latin American history is the fact that it enjoys two oceanic coasts, however, this did nothing more than put it in the way of Spain, Portugal, through the Age of Exploration, thus drastically altering the path of history.