How did our physical geographical features influence the country's history?

Answer 1

Geography explores how location affects societies, economics, politics, culture...the impact it has on history is profound.
Say a people, whose territory has always been the steppes...a flat, arid land.... where your family has traditionally raised and trained horses, traded and lived among other kin groups that "warred" with each other for the choicest land areas. Your group becomes so vast that the land can't support it, so you travel and conquer surrounding areas, and install your people, who bring their languages, customs, etc with them when they settle the new area. Sound familiar? The Mongols did just that.
Many peoples are responsible for conquering new territories to create empires...the Romans, Persians...they all brought their own customs and identities with them, and intermingled them with the ones of the people they conquered. Lack of available land for second sons and a growing need for raw materials sparked England to colonize North America...for Spain it was gold, riches, for the crown in an area that wasn't already under Another Country's influence, for France a new trade venture, new goods to add to the market for less than what they bought them from other areas for...something they didn't have..