To start off, the most important characteristic that all civilizations in Asia and Northeast Africa had in common was that they all originated around some form of water. Egypt thrived around the Nile River, Mesopotamia flourished off of the Tigris/Euphrates River, India, the Indus River, and China the Yellow River. In all of these areas, civilizations were able to develop because the rivers provided rich soil and irrigation for crops, as well as providing barriers from attacks and disease. Without a doubt, having successful civilizations around this time required easy access to food and protection, which rivers were able to provide. When it came to economy, residents of the Nile River used farming and agriculture as their main
