1. Geography of Rome
Rome is located in the center of the Italian Peninsula which is in the center of the Mediterranean Sea.

2. The Apennine Mountains form the “backbone” of the Italian Peninsula
The Apennine Mountains form the “backbone” of the Italian Peninsula. The gentle slope of these mountains create an excellent agricultural environment and form many rivers.

3. Rome is located on the banks of the Tiber River, 30 kilometers upstream from where the Tiber meets the Mediterranean.

4. On the northern edge of the Italian peninsula lie the Alps which created a natural barrier between the Romans and the rest of mainland Europe.

5. Because of their location, the Romans became masters of both the land and the sea. They built roads and sea routes which led to the creation of Roman provinces from Britain to North Africa, to Mesopotamia.

6. As their empire continued to grow, the Romans used many physical features to create natural borders.
Rhine River
Danube River
Atlantic Ocean
Sahara Desert
Arabian Desert

7. Other than the region of Dacia (modern day Romania) which was a part of the Empire between 106 and 275 C.E., Roman territory on mainland Europe lay south of the Danube and Rhine rivers.
Dacia

8. These rivers created an excellent natural barrier for Roman troops to patrol.
As the empire began to weaken, these borders were overrun with the invasions of Germanic tribes forced into Roman territory by the advancing Huns.

9. To the south lay the Sahara Desert
To the south lay the Sahara Desert. Although there were trade routes crossing the desert, there were no tribes formidable enough to pose a threat to Rome.

10. The Arabian Desert to the southeast
provided yet
another
barrier.

11. To the west, the Atlantic Ocean stretched as far as the eye could see
To the west, the Atlantic Ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. The combination of all these physical features allowed Rome to create and maintain the greatest Empire the ancient world had ever seen.