How geography shaped the settlement of ancient Rome?

Answer 1

In the early days of Rome the advantages of her location were that she was in a hilly area (the Seven Hills of Rome). People liked to live on hills because they were easier to defend from raids; the local volcanic rocks provided good building material. The city was on the only Ford on the river Tiber which crossed the region in an east-west direction from the mountain chain of the Apennines to the coast, which made the Rome main north-south communication point in the region. The river Tiber provided a navigable route to the coast, which was 16 miles to the west. Rome's closeness to the Apennine Mountains made it easier to bring water for these mountains by building aqueducts when with her population growth the demand for water exceeded the local supply. The disadvantage was that Rome was surrounded by several peoples who often attacked her and she often had to defend herself on more than one front.