The Geography of Central Asia - Mongols

The geography of Central Asia affected the development of nomadic culture drastically. Since central Asia did not get much precipitation, it could not support much large scale agriculture. Only grasses and shrubs grew to increase animal population. Irrigation in this region was nearly impossible. As a result, nomads lived off of mainly milk, meat and hides of their animals. They used all parts of the animals throughout their life. The nomads also sought to engage in commerce with sedentary civilizations. Since the nomads traded, they spread ideas, goods and culture between people.

The Mongols experienced many strengths and weaknesses. Some prominent strengths of the Mongols are mobility and organization tactics. With strong mobility they were able to move quickly from one region to another. The Mongols also had a great military advantage due to the strong use of cavalry and their equestrian skills. A substantial disadvantaged of the Mongols was their lack of resources. Although they were strong with their cavalry, agriculture was a major disadvantage to the Mongols. Another disadvantage was the lack of rule for the amount of land conquered by the Mongols, which was very vulnerable to rebellion.

The Mongols impacted Eurasian culture in the sense that they helped bring back the silk road. The Mongols controlled the commerce along the silk road and assisted with the safety of the travelers. Europe's knowledge also could be traced back to the Mongols because of the vast extent of the Mongols trade. They were exposed to many ideas and culture characteristics of the Mongols.