Why did the first complex, politically centralized civilizations materialize along rivers? Find out here by taking a close look at the Nile River civilizations, Mesopotamia, the Harappan civilization and the Xia, the Shang, and the Zhou...

Much of China, a country slightly larger than the continental United States, is hilly or mountainous. To its east lies the Pacific Ocean; to its south thick jungles. Mountains in the southwest connect in the west with the Himalayas,...

From the Perry-Castaneda Collection, a relief map of Vietnam, showing the highlands, river valleys, and the Mekong Delta. Click on the map to zoom in for a closer view.

"Northeast China - the provinces of Heilungkiang, Kirin, and Liaoning - is the most important region of the country and a nationally significant and still-developing center of agricultural production. Most of the Northeast remained...

The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in the south-west of Honshu Island is a cluster of mountains, rising to 600 m and interspersed by deep river valleys featuring the archaeological remains of large-scale mines, smelting and refining sites and...