Consider How Geography Affects You

Write two to three paragraphs on the following questions based on what you learned in the previous video:

1. How has the geography of the Dominican Republic influenced how its people live?

2. How does geography in general influence how we live?

1. Geography has influenced the lives of people in the Dominican Republic in many ways, most notably to me, affecting the water supply and close-knit communities.

            People in the Dominican Republic do not have the luxury of running water, and therefore use other methods of gathering water for use. During the rainy season (affected, obviously, by geography), they collect the water from the almost-constant rains. Women walk several kilometers per day to collect and carry water back to their homes, even just for enough water to live. They are beginning to use the natural terrain to design more convenient ways of water collection and sanitation, by finding natural water sources at higher elevations so the water can run down into the towns.

            The close-knit nature of the communities of the Dominican Republic is a result of many variables, but I think the geography definitely contributes. The people have to work together in order to survive (water usage, food gathering, farming, etc.) and this cooperation builds very strong community-wide relationships.

2. Geography in general influences how we live in many ways, including but not limited to: climate, resources, hobbies, employment opportunities, chores, appropriate/practical clothing styles, interaction with others, available technology, traditions, and the list goes on and on. The deepest-rooted traditions and cultures were based mostly on geography and the cultures we have today were built upon those—basically, how we live seems practical and normal now, but was possibly originally essential for survival. For example, people living in a geographical location near the sea may see eating fish as part of their daily life even though they now have other resources, but originally that may have been the only food the people in that area could possibly attain.