The Roman Empire

Rome: Geography Italy – peninsula Long and narrow (750 miles from N-S, 120 miles E-W) Apennine Mountains run N-S separating the east and west halves of Italy

Geography (cont’d.) Fertile plains:  Po River Valley in north  Plain of Latium (holds Rome)  Campania, south of Latium Po River in North; Tiber River runs from Etruria through Rome to Tyrrhenian Sea

Geography (cont’d.) Surrounded by: Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, and Mediterranean Sea Many small islands surround Italy in its seas Includes land in Africa, NW of Egypt known as Carthage

Geography (cont’d.) 3 big islands  Corsica  Sardinia  Sicily (the boot of Italy kicks Sicily; separated from Italy by the straight of Messina) g

Geography: Do now Based on the map, what can you infer about Italy before the establishment of the Roman Empire?

Geography (cont’d.) Rome ideally situated 18 miles inland from Tyrrhenian Sea Situated on 7 hills; easily defendable At narrow point of Tiber River, making it the crossing point for travel N-S/S-N

Geography (cont’d.) Italy juts into Mediterranean making it a crossroads from E. Med to W. Med Rome became powerhouse; unified the regions of Italy Roman Empire established and controls much of Mediterranean affairs

Geography: Impact Mountains less rugged than Greece Mountains didn’t divide the country into multiple sections like Greece (less isolation) More land for farming (more of a demand for agriculture than Greece) could support large population