What geographic factor was most important to the growth of the Byzantine Empire?

Answer 1

The Byzantine Empire covered the eastern basin of the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe. Egypt was a massive supplier of grain and an exporter of luxury goods. The empire also controlled the trade routes of luxury goods and spices from China, India, Persia, Arabia and Ethiopia to Europe. It also had trading links with Russia.

However, the Byzantine Empire did not grow. It was the other way round. It lost lands to Slav, Arab and Turkish invaders.

Byzantine Empire is a term coined by historians to indicate the eastern part of the Roman Empire after the fall of the western part is Byzantine Empire. The Romans did not use this term, they called it Roman Empire and Romania (this referred to this empire and not the country which was later called Romania).

The term Byzantine is derived from Byzantium, the Greek city which was redeveloped, turned into the imperial capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire and renamed Constantinople by emperor Constantine the Great in 330. It is used to indicate the fact that not long after the fall of the western part, this empire became centred on Greece and Greek in character after it lost most of its non-Greek territories. Greek replaced Latin as the official language of this empire in 620, some 150 years after the fall of the west.

Answer 2

The geographical factors that was most important to the growth and length of time the Byzantine Empire existed was the location of its capital of Constantinople. The city was strategically located on a peninsula in the Bosphorus where Europe meets Asia Minor. This was a perfect location as it stood along the trade routes between Europe and Asia Minor. In addition to this, the city was well fortified against attacks by this same location. The empire's location also gave it access to the Black Sea.