WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Apennines, an approximately 1, 400 kilometer (870 mile) long mountain range that stretches from northern to southern Italy, provided protection and natural resources for Romans. The fertile soil of the Po and Tiber River Valleys allowed Romans to grow a diverse selection of crops, such as olives and grains.

Detailed explanation-2: -Italy is a rocky, mountainous peninsula 600 miles long and 150 miles wide. The Apennine Mountains form its “backbone” and stretch from north to south, with the Tiber River cutting through them in central Italy. Along the northern border, the Alps serve as a natural boundary.

Detailed explanation-3: -The ‘Roman Limes’ represents the border line of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent in the 2nd century AD. It stretched over 5, 000 km from the Atlantic coast of northern Britain, through Europe to the Black Sea, and from there to the Red Sea and across North Africa to the Atlantic coast.

Detailed explanation-4: -Italy’s location on the Mediterranean linked it with the trade routes of the ancient civilizations that developed in the region. With the city of Rome’s rise to power, the Italian peninsula became the center of a huge empire that lasted for centuries. (Learn about Ancient Rome.)