How did geography help effect Rome?

Answer 1

I assume that you are asking how geography worked to Rome's advantage. On the face of things, Italy is a peninsula, with a great deal of exposure to water. Rome itself is strategically located on 7 hills, making itself a natural type of fortress. In addition, the geography of Italy in general encouraged engineering work, especially bridge building for its many rivers. Hence the Romans built bridges and aqueducts with the idea of being able to defend and fortify positions from potential invaders.

One geographical feature which slowed Hannibal, after his fateful trip across the Alps, was the marshlands of the Po valley. In addition to this, the Po river valley is the richest farmland in all of Italy. It is also responsible for the woodlands in which the hogs lived that furnished meat for most of Ancient Rome. The Alps are only impassable in winter, however, something which the Romans learned in its last years when invasions became more numerous and they became weaker militarily.
Rome was positioned prominently in the Mediterranean Sea and Adriatic, with natural buffers of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica allowing easy approach to the African coast. It has several natural large ports, including Naples and Tarentum in the south and Genoa and Venice in the north. Syracuse on Sicily was considered a key defensive point for the entire peninsula because of the ways in which the trade winds traveled as was Palermo to a lesser degree.

Answer 2

The Geography of Ancient Rome was characterised by relatively steep hills on the left bank of the river tiber, at the point where the river flowed around a small island as well as branching out into marshy areas between the hills themselves. Due to the limited means of travel and communication in Ancient Rome, people lived in areas where the lay of the land was used to their advantage. The way communication was established in Ancient Italy, the network of rivers was crucial for Rome geography. Cities built on hills are easier to defend.

Answer 3

Part of the reason was reaching Rome. Though not insanely impossible to find it was a hard march of the Appenines to reach the Capital and going by sea was extremely treacherous until a hundred years ago. Essentially, they lived on a huge cul-de-sac and after conquoring their neighbors they merely had to protect their waters and move north. Over time they garnered so much land, slaves, and goods that the weight of the Empire slowly collapsed on itself.

Answer 4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome#Geography