About the world's first state. Average annual growth rate, %

What are regions of the world? By general definition, the concept region implies any territory that has one or more common features. Region- synonym for words district, region, continent. There are regions within every continent, country, city. By what principle the attitude of countries to a particular region is determined, we will consider in more detail.

Why share the world?

The planet we live on is vast and diverse. Its remote parts differ significantly in geographical location, climatic conditions, economic development, historical, religious and cultural characteristics. It is much more convenient for a specialist in any issue that goes beyond one state to combine regions and countries of the world with the same characteristic features in one name. The generally accepted names of the regions are known to the general public, and everyone who is familiar with geography understands what is at stake.

For the study of geography, division into regions is necessary for convenience. There is no need to describe in detail each individual country, if the patterns of its development and geophysical conditions are similar to neighboring ones, especially since the quantitative composition and names of countries change constantly over the course of history. Features of the regions are studied by a separate science - regional studies.

Major regions of the world

The main division is defined by the UN classification system. The division of the world into regions was carried out on a territorial basis, by continents, for the purpose of statistics. It looks like this:

• Europe (Central, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western).
• Asia (Central, Western, Southern, Eastern and South-Eastern, Northern).
• Africa (Central, Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern).
• America (North or Anglo-America; Central or Caribbean, together with North America are combined in some sources into one region - Latin America; South)
• Australia and Oceania (Australia - New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia).

There are 23 regions in total. This division denotes the regions of the world according to the parameters of the physical and geographical position of its territory, the areas of these regions coincide with the areas of the continents and islands, and have a geographical border.

Historical and cultural zoning

The history of the development of peoples, the formation of their cultural heritage, the established groups of languages ​​and dialects are as diverse on the planet as the climatic conditions of life. At the same time, there are countries for which this path was identical, some states broke up into smaller ones, while others merged into one. Historical and cultural regions of the world are areas in which the features of religion, life, cultural heritage, architecture, customs, way of doing business, and even the main set of food products, have similar properties that distinguish this area from others. The boundaries of these regions may coincide with the geographic zoning, but not necessarily.

Examples of regions of the world with common historical and cultural traditions:

• North Africa and the Middle East. The territory of the admirers of Islam, through which the caravans of merchants from all over the world passed.
• North America is an area in which the original culture of the natives is almost completely destroyed, and so are its representatives themselves. A new community of representatives of nationalities of all continents has fully developed.
• Oceania - remote from other civilizations, the peoples of this region have created an original culture that is not similar and incomprehensible to other peoples.

Ecoregions

The ecological regions of the world, or natural zones, are very vast territories that are united by a similar landscape, climatic conditions, representatives of flora and fauna. Ecoregions are located around the planet mainly by latitudes, but have a different location and width, depending on the relief and proximity to the ocean. The boundaries of natural regions for the most part do not coincide with the boundaries of powers or historical regions, they are determined by the distribution of warm and cold air and remoteness from the oceans.

Examples of ecoregions: tropics, equatorial forests, deserts, steppes, taiga, tundra, arctic deserts.

Tourist regions

The tourism business also considers in its activities the division of the world into regions, taking into account the recreational opportunities of the place offered for recreation for tourists: nature; historical and cultural heritage; ecological, social, infrastructural conditions.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) adopted 5 tourist regions, which, in turn, are divided into 14 sub-regions.

Regions of the world by tourist destinations:

• Europe.
• Asia and Pacific countries.
• America.
• Africa.
• Near East.

Economic division

Economists divide the world in their own way. Economically, regions differ from geographic, climatic, or historical regions. The principle of their division is the level of economic development of the state. According to the UN, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, countries are divided according to the degree of development of a market economy, according to the socio-political system, according to the level of development.

The first states appeared in the southern regions of our planet, where there were the most favorable natural and geographical conditions for this. They originated in approximately the same period, about five thousand years ago.

What is the reason for the emergence of a new type of social relations

When and why the first states appeared, that is, their origin, is one of the controversial issues in science. According to the version of the famous German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the state arises in the process of strengthening the increasing role of property and the emergence of a class of wealthy people. They, in turn, need a special apparatus to protect their interests and maintain influence on their fellow tribesmen. Undoubtedly, this phenomenon took place, but not only it contributed to the emergence of the state. There is also a theory according to which a new type of organization of society was the result of the need to control and distribute resources, a kind of supreme manager of economic objects, with the aim of their effective development, this way of organizing the state is most applicable to Ancient Egypt, where the irrigation system was the main economic object.

Criteria for their appearance

When and why did the first natural process arise, which took place everywhere, but in different periods. In ancient times, the basis of life for all people was agriculture and cattle breeding. In order for it to develop successfully, appropriate natural and climatic conditions were necessary. Therefore, they settled mainly along the banks of large rivers, which made it possible to fully satisfy the needs of people in this important resource. The location of the water source was of particular importance: the further south it is located, the warmer the climate and, accordingly, the more favorable opportunities for agriculture. Here you can harvest not once, as in most of the world, but several times a year. This gave the peoples living in these regions an undoubted advantage in developing ways of life support and obtaining a surplus product.

The oldest regions of state building

Mesopotamia, or Mesopotamia, is a very favorable region for agriculture, a mild, warm climate, an excellent location and the presence of two large rivers in Western Asia - the Tigris and Euphrates - provided the necessary amount of water for the development of an irrigation system and an irrigation method of land use. The people inhabiting these lands were less dependent on the vagaries of the weather than others, so they could get stable and rich harvests. Approximately the same situation developed in the valley of the largest river in Africa - the Nile. But in order to build complexes, it was necessary to establish the collective work of a large number of people, otherwise it was simply impossible to create effective agriculture. So, the first prototypes originate, and this is where the first states appeared, but these, in fact, were not yet not quite state formations. These were their embryos, from which subsequently formed

The vicissitudes of socio-economic and political components in ancient countries

The city-states that arise in these territories begin to control a strictly defined area. Relations between neighbors were always tense and often led to conflicts. Many independent associations hampered the economic development of this region and the stronger rulers were aware of this, so they gradually try to subjugate a large territory to their power, on which they establish uniform orders. It is according to this scheme that two strong and large kingdoms appear in the Nile Valley - Northern, or Upper, Egypt and Southern, or Lower, Egypt. The rulers of both kingdoms had a fairly strong power and army. However, luck smiled at the king of Upper Egypt, in a fierce struggle he defeated his southern rival, and around 3118 he conquered the lower Egyptian kingdom, and Mina becomes the first pharaoh of a united Egypt and the founder of the state, that's when and why the first states appeared.

Egypt - the first state

Now all the fruitful resources of the Nile were concentrated in the hands of one ruler, all the conditions appeared for the development of a unified state system of irrigated agriculture, and now the one who controlled it had significant material resources. The fragmentation that weakened the country was replaced by a strong, united state, and the further development of Egypt perfectly demonstrates all the positive aspects of this process. For many years, this country dominated the entire Middle East region. Another favorable region of the Earth, Mesopotamia, could not overcome the centrifugal forces, the city-states that existed here could not unite under the rule of a single monarch. Therefore, constant conflicts destabilized the political and economic situation, which made it possible for Egypt to take the lead, and soon the Sumerian states fell into the sphere of influence of the Egyptian state, and then other strong states of the region. And it is not possible to say which state appeared first with chronological accuracy, therefore Egypt is considered the first state on the planet.

Theories of the genesis of political formations

The most objective theory on the question of when and why the first states appeared is the one according to which a fairly stable social structure of society has already been formed, and the state that is formed as a result of these processes and phenomena is only a pattern designed to ensure the necessary stability of the entire social structure. system. That's when and why the first states appeared. This path applies to all power relationships in human history. But much more, it can be a hostile environment that contributes to the consolidation of society, strengthening the role of the individual, which is the ruler. Borrowings from the surrounding more developed peoples also play an important role. The religious and ideological component also contributes to this, it is enough to recall Muhammad, the founder of the new religion of Islam, and the importance it played in the formation. Therefore, the first states appeared as a result of a set of conditions, but the main criterion was still the level of economic development.

Summing up

The first states were mainly based on force, power always implies submission. And in the conditions of the ancient world, it was the only way to preserve vast territories, often inhabited by very different and dissimilar tribes. Therefore, many states arose as a kind of organization for fruitful development, but did not interfere in local affairs, demanding only the performance of certain duties and obedience. Often it was of a formal nature, because of this, the first states were extremely unstable.

GEOGRAPHY OF CITIES

- Hypotheses of the emergence of cities.
- Legal and actual boundaries of the city. Limits to urban growth.
- Agglomerations. Megalopolises. The largest cities of our time.
- Regional differences in the share of urban population. Features of urbanization in industrialized and developing countries.
- City and environment.

Urbanization (from the Latin urbs - city) is the historical process of the emergence, growth of population and the number of cities, the concentration of economic potential in them. Urbanization is accompanied by an increase in the role of cities in the life of society, the spread of an urban lifestyle and the formation of settlement systems. The problems of cities by the end of the 20th century acquired the status of global ones; they excite representatives of many scientific disciplines - economists, sociologists, ecologists.

Geographers are primarily interested in the spatial aspects of urbanization - the regularities in the location of cities, settlement systems, and the organization of urban space.

WHICH LOCATION IS A CITY?

The main factors that make it possible to distinguish an urban settlement from a rural one are the significant size of the population and its predominantly employed outside of agriculture. In addition, in the city, compared to the countryside, the character of residential development is different and the population density is higher.

In the world there are no uniform criteria for the allocation of cities. Thus, in the United States, cities include settlements that have reached 2.5 thousand people. inhabitants, in Russia and the Netherlands - 20 thousand people, in Iceland - 200 people. In some countries, in addition to the population indicator, population density, the availability of urban amenities, and the employment structure are taken into account. In Russia, a city is considered to be a settlement with at least 20 thousand people, and more than 85% of the inhabitants must be workers, employees and members of their families (that is, the non-agricultural population).

In some countries, cities include all administrative centers, regardless of the population living in them.

Therefore, national statistics on the size of the urban population and the number of cities are often incomparable.

HYPOTHESES ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF CITIES.

THE LARGEST CITIES OF ANCIENT AND MODERNITY

BC, the largest urban cultures of antiquity, where most of the world's population, including the urban population, lived, were in Asia.

The first large cities arose about 4 thousand years ago in the densely populated agricultural regions of Mesopotamia, in the valley of the rivers Nile, Indus (in western India), Huang He (in northern China). The emergence of cities is associated with economic progress - the appearance of surpluses of food necessary to provide for the non-agricultural population. Cities also arose as residences of rulers (for example, in ancient Egypt - as places of residence for pharaohs and priests), as fortresses, the main function of which was defense. In this case, they were located in the most strategically advantageous places.

In the Middle Ages, the largest cities in the world were Nanjing (470 thousand people), Cairo (450 thousand people), Vidzhavanagar (350 thousand people), Beijing (320 thousand people). Paris was the largest city in Europe (275 thousand), Milan and Venice were almost twice behind it, and the population of London, which by the beginning of the 19th century had become the largest city in the world with a population of 870 thousand people, barely reached 50 thousand people.

Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztecs, was among the largest cities in the world, destroyed by the conquistadors in the early 19th century.

It is estimated that no more than 10% of the world's population lived in cities in the early 18th century. Some of the largest cities of the Middle Ages still exist, the development of others slowed down, and they turned into small provincial centers, and some disappeared altogether.

The development of large cities of our time as economic, political and commercial centers is associated with the emergence of manufactory and factory production. The concentration of the population in cities became possible primarily due to the development of energy: the development of technologies for the extraction, use and transportation of coal, and later oil. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the most important functions of cities have been: the production of goods and services, management and inter-district exchange.

Only in the twentieth century URBANIZATION has become the main factor in economic development and changes in the territorial organization of society in most countries of the world. During the 20th century, the number of citizens increased sharply, the number of cities, especially large ones, increased.

The urban population grew mainly due to migration from rural areas (this factor is the most important at the initial stages of urbanization), natural population growth and urbanization of rural areas - the retraining of rural settlements into urban ones.

If at the beginning of the 20th century only 14% of the world's population lived in cities and there were 16 cities with millionaires, then by 1950 the share of the urbanized population had increased by more than 2 times, and the number of cities with millionaires - by almost 5. It is expected that by the year 2000 half of the inhabitants of the Earth will be city dwellers, and the number of millionaire cities will be 440.

The concentration of population, economic and political life in large cities observed during the 20th century led to the formation of an idea of ​​​​a world economy concentrated exclusively in cities, each of which is surrounded by a "heart-shaped" region with maximum changes in natural landscapes, a transition zone and a vast, little affected by the achievements of modern civilizations on the periphery.

Cities and agglomerations connected by highways become the supporting frame of settlement.

CITY BORDERS: LEGAL AND ACTUAL

Each city has LEGAL BORDER, or city limits, within which the actual urban population lives. So, for example, the legal border of Moscow is the ring road with a length of 109 km. With an increase in population, urban-type buildings begin to overcome the legal border of the city, first along the main radial roads, and then fill in the gaps between them. Thus, ACTUAL BORDER The city goes far beyond the administrative. The discrepancy between these boundaries complicates urban management. The city administration is forced to provide food, transport, services not only to residents of the city within its administrative boundaries (i.e., real taxpayers, at the expense of which the city budget is formed), but also to the so-called "pendulum" migrants - people living in the suburbs, but daily coming to work in the city. The solution to this problem can be found in two ways: by joint participation in urban spending by residents of the city and suburbs, or by expanding the administrative boundary of the city to the level of actual urban development.

If it is impossible to expand the legal border of the city (for example, due to the existence of private ownership of land), the growing city begins to absorb the surrounding villages, merge with suburbs and satellite cities. This is how the urban AGGLOMERATION(from Latin agglomerare - to attach, concentrate) - a cluster of closely spaced settlements with a continuous, common transport infrastructure and close industrial ties. At the same time, the legal boundaries of each of the settlements exist only on paper, and the real boundary of the agglomeration is determined by the end points of the pendulum migrations.

For these reasons, data on the population of large cities and agglomerations often differ depending on the boundaries within which they are given.

LIMITS OF CITY GROWTH.

The growth and development of modern cities are primarily associated with economic benefits - the so-called agglomeration economy: the concentration of producers and consumers in a limited area in itself becomes a source of additional income due to lower production costs per unit of output (the possibility of creating industries of optimal size) and reducing transport costs (proximity of buyers and sellers, creation of a common infrastructure).

However, the economic gain from the growth of the area and population of the city increases only up to certain limits - as long as the increasing transport costs for the transportation of goods, raw materials and passengers will be beneficial at given production costs.

The aggravation of the environmental problems of large urban agglomerations, the development of personal transport and modern means of communication lead to an outflow of the population to suburban suburbanization zones. This phenomenon is largely facilitated by cheaper prices for land plots outside cities, the relocation of science-intensive industries to suburban industrial parks, for which the significance of the agglomeration effect is small.

When "growth" of agglomerations are formed MEGALOPOLICY huge areas of continuous urban development in terms of area and economic potential. The largest of them are the Tokaido megalopolis on the "front" side of Japan with the largest agglomerations of Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe; The northeastern megalopolis of the United States Bos-Vash, consisting of almost 40 agglomerations, stretching for almost 1000 km from Boston to Washington; the megalopolis of Chig Pits on the southern coast of the Great Lakes - from Chicago to Pittsburgh.

In Europe, English stands out (the agglomerations of London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool), and the Rhine, which includes the cities of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium in the lower and middle reaches of the Rhine, megalopolises.

Cities of the world with more than 10 million people

Megalopolis was the name of a city that really existed in Ancient Greece - the center of the union of Arcadian cities, which arose in 370 BC. as a result of the merger of more than 35 settlements.

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF URBANIZATION

The most important indicators that allow us to quantify the level of urbanization include : SHARE OF URBAN POPULATION IN COUNTRY POPULATION, And SHARE OF URBAN POPULATION LIVING IN MAJOR CITIES. These indicators are closely related to the level of socio-economic development.

An indicator of urbanization as a spatial process is FORMATION OF SETTLEMENT SYSTEMS: the existence in a certain territory of those performing various functions, but closely interconnected by industrial, social ties and a single transport network - a large city - as the supporting frame of the settlement system, medium and small cities.

REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN URBANIZATION

In the 1990s 43% of the inhabitants of the Earth lived in the city. The maximum share of city dwellers in the world, more than 70%, was noted in economically developed regions (in Europe, North America, Australia), where the growth and development of cities as centers of modern industry began during the industrial revolution. The highest rate of growth of the urban population here in the early 20th century.

Over the past 30 years, the share of these regions in the world's urban population has decreased from 45% to 26%, while in the rest of the world the number of urban residents has increased from 400 million to 1.6 billion people. In recent decades, in economically developed regions, there has been a process of so-called counter-urbanization - flight from big cities to the suburbs, which is associated to a large extent with the process of decentralization of industry.

In Latin America, about 65% of the population lives in cities; the largest urban agglomerations of the world are located here - Mexico City, Sao Paulo.

The highest rates of urbanization have been noted in regions where the proportion of the urban population is still relatively small. The proportion of the urban population in Asia as a whole is low at 34%. The highest rates of urbanization, exceeding the rate of population growth, are observed in Southeast Asia, where the proportion of the urban population is only 29%. In the countries of East Asia - Japan, Taiwan, the DPRK and the Republic of Korea, the urban population prevails (about 70%). The proportion of the urban population in China is only 32%; this is connected both with the strict regulation of internal migration until 1978 and with the nature of the economic reforms of the 1980s, aimed at the priority growth of the well-being of agrarian areas, which also restrained migration to the cities.

The world's smallest indicator of the share of the urban population, and at the same time - the highest rate of its growth, has been noted in recent decades in Africa.

FEATURES OF URBANIZATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

In most developing countries at the initial stage of industrial development, urbanization of the modern type has begun recently and is proceeding at a very high pace.

As a rule, the uncontrolled growth of the urban population and urban area of ​​one or two of the country's largest cities outstrips the possibilities of the urban economy and lags far behind the development of their production base, with a disproportionate increase in the service sector. Urbanization of this type is often called "false".

The concentration of urban residents of the country, economic and political life in one city, usually a capital city, where all modern industry and higher educational institutions are concentrated, leads to its autonomous and isolated development from the rest of the country.

The high growth rates of the urban population are mainly due to the high birth rate and rural-to-urban migration, which provide up to half of the increase in the number of city dwellers.

As a rule, economic reasons for migration are the main ones, but socio-psychological motives are also important - the prestige of life in the city, the opportunity to get an education. However, due to the general economic backwardness, lack of jobs, people from the villages who do not have any qualifications join the ranks of the urban unemployed.

Most of the townspeople are employed in the informal sector of small handicraft enterprises in the service sector.

Significant areas in the cities are used as agricultural. Indigenous areas in cities, closely linked to their tribes and communities, attract new migrants in search of work and a better life.

Labor migration to the cities deprives the agricultural sector of the main labor force. This leads to a reduction in food production and the need to increase its imports to meet the rapidly growing urban population.

High rates of urbanization lead to an aggravation of the socio-economic problems of large cities. Most citizens do not have basic urban amenities. So, about 40% of the housing stock of African cities does not have running water, more than half - electricity, sewerage provided by a little more than 1/3 of the dwellings. High land values ​​and low incomes mean that most families are unable to buy or rent a home. So in cities, often in their central part, there are areas of spontaneous chaotic development - huge in area and population density - slums, where houses are built from improvised materials. These areas are the main sources of social instability, crime, unsanitary conditions and epidemics, but the governments do not have the means to improve the lives of their inhabitants.

As a rule, wood is used as fuel for cooking, so vast areas in the vicinity of cities are degraded lands.

Given the leading role of the capital city in the economy, its ability to "attract" investments, industrial enterprises, in a number of developing countries, projects were undertaken to transfer the former colonial capitals to the geographical center of the country. It was believed that a change in the geographical position of the capital would contribute to the accelerated development of the interior, and new cities built according to a single project would not be burdened by "old" problems. A new capital was built in Brazil; it is planned to transfer the capital in Tanzania, Argentina and a number of other countries. But it is not only economic interests that drive national governments. Thus, in Nigeria, the location of the new capital - the city of Abuja - was chosen so that none of the warring tribes of the country - the Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa - would receive the political advantages that living in the capital region provides. In Côte d'Ivoire, the capital was moved to the president's homeland, in the city of Yamosoukro.

CITY AND ENVIRONMENT

Cities - due to the huge concentration of people, industrial enterprises, transport in them, are the largest consumers of all types of natural resources - territorial, energy, food and the most important sources of environmental pollution. The pressure on the natural environment is increasing sharply not only in the cities themselves, but also outside the city limits.

The expansion of the urban area leads to the reduction of valuable agricultural land, which in the conditions of developing countries further aggravates the food situation.

The cities of a number of African countries south of the Sahara are surrounded by lifeless lands for many tens of kilometers. These so-called "badlands" were formed due to the cutting down of woody vegetation for fuel and grazing in the vicinity of cities of numerous herds belonging to the nomads who settled in the city.

Large cities are the largest consumers of food, and the surrounding rural area is usually unable to supply it.

Among the most important problems of our time is the provision of water to citizens and industrial enterprises and the disposal of wastewater. Garbage disposal and disposal of human waste are considered serious problems.

However, the impact of large cities on the environment is not limited to the local level, they not only violate the hydrological regime of vast territories, climate and atmospheric circulation, but also affect the lithosphere, causing the gravity of buildings and structures to sag the earth's crust.

In the cities themselves, a special microclimate is formed. Residential development reduces wind speed, and stagnant air contributes to the concentration of highly toxic industrial pollutants. Smogs - a mixture of smoke, dust and fog, reduce the amount of sunlight, cause serious illness in people. The air temperature in cities is always somewhat higher than the average temperature of the area. "Heating" of the urban atmosphere occurs due to the combustion of automotive fuel, heating of buildings and their subsequent cooling, from the release of radiant heat from all urban facilities. In cities of temperate latitudes, snow melts earlier, plants turn green. Often in winter, birds do not fly away from cities, usually wintering in other parts; simplified communities of fauna and flora are formed in cities.

We know little about the very first state on the planet. But it was it that gave impetus to the development of other civilizations.

Do you know which state was the very first? TravelAsk will tell you about it in detail.

Features of the most ancient states

In terms of territory, the ancient states were small. In the center of the ancient country was a fortified city with a temple of the local patron god and the residence of the head of state. The ruler was often both a military leader and the head of irrigation work.

So, for example, in the Nile Valley in the second half of the 4th millennium BC. e. there were more than forty states. Between them there were constant wars for territory.

The very first state

The Sumerian civilization is considered the very first state in the world. It arose at the end of the 4th millennium BC. e. There was a state on the banks of the Euphrates, where it flows into the Persian Gulf. This territory was called Mesopotamia, today Iraq and Syria are located here.

Where they came from on this earth is still a mystery to scientists. And the Sumerian language is also a mystery, since it could not be correlated with any language family. The texts were written in cuneiform, which, in fact, the Sumerians invented.

At first, the people cultivated barley and wheat, drained swamps and even made water channels, bringing water to dry areas. Then they began to produce metals, fabrics and ceramics. By 3000 B.C. e. The Sumerians had the highest culture for their time with an elaborate religion and a special writing system.

How did the Sumerians live?

The Sumerians built houses away from the banks of the Euphrates. The river often overflowed, flooding the lands around, and its lower reaches were swampy, where many malarial mosquitoes bred.

They erected dwellings from clay bricks, clay was mined right there, on the river, since the banks of the Euphrates are rich in it. Therefore, clay was the main material: dishes, cuneiform tablets and even children's toys were made from it.

Fishing was one of the main occupations of the city dwellers. People built boats from river reeds, lubricating them with pitch to prevent leaks. They traveled in boats across the waters.

The ruler of the city also performed the functions of a priest. He had no wives and children, it was believed that the wives of the rulers were goddesses. In general, the religion of the Sumerians is interesting: they believed that they exist in order to serve the gods, and the gods cannot exist without the Sumerians. Therefore, sacrifices were made to the gods, and the temples became the center of government of the state.

Rise of civilization

Researchers suggest that the main factor in the emergence of the state was the need to cultivate land and irrigate it, leading channels, because the climate in this region is desert and arid. Irrigation systems are a fairly complex technology, so they needed organized management. It also rallied the society itself.

The Sumerians had many cities with their own administration and power. The largest of these city-states were Ur, Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Lagash, Umma. At the head of each of them was a priest, according to his decree, the population lived. So, they collected food from the people, and in the famine years they distributed food. In general, the inhabitants of the cities did not live very peacefully, periodically fighting among themselves.

In Sumer, private ownership of land was even introduced. Of course, this contributed to the property stratification of the population. There were few slaves in the cities, and their labor did not play a significant role in the economy.

A special role in the Sumerian civilization was played by the lugals - the leaders of the warriors. Possessing strength and military knowledge, they eventually partially supplanted the power of the priests.

As for military uniforms, the Sumerians had a primitive bow, a copper-tipped spear, a short dagger and a copper cap.

Contribution to later history

Of course, when compared with subsequent states, the economic technologies of the Sumerians were very primitive. However, it was their culture that formed the basis of subsequent civilizations: for example, the Sumerian civilization fell into decay, and another major civilization, the Babylonian, arose in its place. The Sumerians were very educated, primitive communities still lived in neighboring territories during this period. They not only invented cuneiform writing, but also possessed mathematical knowledge, understood astronomy, and were able to accurately determine the area of ​​land.

At city temples there were schools in which this knowledge was passed on to the next generations. The Sumerians also had their own literature. So, the epic about Gilgamesh, the king who was looking for immortality, became the most famous. This is one of the oldest monuments of literature. There is a chapter in the epic that tells about a man who saved people from the Flood.

It is believed that this legend formed the basis of the biblical flood.

Decline of the State

Nomadic tribes lived next to Sumer. One of them, the Akkadians, switched to a settled way of life, adopting many technologies from the Sumerians. At first, the Sumerians and Akkadians maintained friendly relations, but they also had periods of military strife. During one of these periods, the Akkadian leader Sargon seized power and proclaimed himself king of Sumer and Akkad. It happened in the 24th century BC. e. Over time, the Sumerians assimilated among these peoples, and their culture became the basis for the states that arose in Mesopotamia in the future.

Cities grow and develop, territories expand, new buildings and structures appear. People are still interested in learning something new and discovering the unknown. New knowledge and information in our age is more valuable than ever. But you should not stop only on numbers and letters, it is better to see everything with your own eyes.

Rest has a different meaning for everyone. Choosing a location is another matter. After all, one city can combine entertainment, attractions and centuries-old culture. Today we will talk about the ten largest cities in the world, their features and a bit of history.

List of 10 largest cities in the world and their population:

1. – 24.1 million inhabitants.
2. Karachi - 23.5 million people.
3. Beijing - 21.2 million
4. Delhi - 17.8 million
5. Lagos - 17 million people.
6. - 14.2 million
7. Guangzhou - 12.7 million
8. Mumbai – 12.65 million
9. Moscow - 12.1 million
10. Dhaka - 12 million inhabitants.

The first three largest millionaires

The first place is occupied by Shanghai, which is the financial center of China. The population lies within the 24 million population. The city is located in the Yangtze River Delta, therefore it has the most famous port in the world. Shanghai is not only a financial and commercial center, it is also filled with architectural sights. Buildings are taking on new forms and styles, and the authorities are equipping more and more green areas and parks, taking care of the population.

The second place is occupied by Karachi, the country. It also has a seaport, which allowed the fishing village to grow into a major economic center of the country. In the 50s, due to the large number of immigrants, the population increased sharply. With a population of 23 million inhabitants, the city has no metro, and the surrounding area is littered with garbage. All houses are lined with bars on the windows and balconies, many people sleep on the streets. This picture is more frightening than attracting tourists.

The third largest city is again in China and this is Beijing. The tourist and cultural center combines ancient Chinese culture and innovation. Many attractions attract tourists from all over the world. The Great Wall of China and the Temple of Heaven are considered the most popular. A large percentage of the city's population are foreigners, mostly businessmen and students.

Cities with 18 to 12 million inhabitants

Listed 10 largest cities in the world there are "representatives" of such countries as Turkey, Russia, Nigeria, Pakistan. Another city that is located in China and is in the top ten is called Guangzhou. What first catches your eye is the close intertwining of slums and large-scale shopping centers. Parks, restaurants, high-rise hotels, all in a Chinese-modern style.

Two of the cities on the list are in India. First comes Delhi with 17.8 million people, and then Mumbai with 12.65 million inhabitants. Moreover, Mumbai, or its better known name Bombay, is twice as small in area. At the same time, the city is filled with modern dynamics and art. It is in this city that the famous Bollywood, the center of the entire Indian film industry, is located. Delhi is distinguished by its liveliness, movement and contrasts. Centuries-old temples filled with majesty coexist with slums and filth. And poverty and general fuss allow you to look at the city from the other side.

Istanbul ranks sixth in the ranking. The number of its inhabitants is increasing due to the migration of rural residents. The city is growing: new streets appear and residential areas are actively built. Tourism, industry and trade relations are actively developed. For the latter, the presence of a port is an important factor.

Last on the list 10 largest cities in the world stands Dhaka, a country with a population of 12 million people. The area is close to Mumbai. The city has a river port and is famous for water tourism. A large number of mosques, and architectural structures, saturated with time, are more reminiscent of Babylon.

It should be noted that the common feature of many cities is the presence of ports and access to the sea. This allows you to trade, actively develop tourism and strengthen political and economic components.