Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The situation of a city is based on its role in the
larger, surrounding context. The site of a city is based on
an absolute location, such as at the head of navigation of
a river or where two rivers converge. The situation of
a city is its relative location, its place in the region and
world around it. The situation of a city changes with the
times. For example, Rome was the center of the Roman
Empire, but when the Roman Empire dissolved, the sit-
uation of Rome changed, as well. It developed into the
center of the Roman Catholic Church, a role it still plays
today. But during the Renaissance when Florence fl our-
ished and during the Industrial Revolution when Naples
and points north of Rome grew economically, the situa-
tion of Rome within Italy as a whole shifted. It no longer
was the scientifi c, political and economic focal point of
the country.
Romans were greatly infl uenced by the Greeks, as
is evident in Roman mythology and visible in the cul-
tural landscape and urban morphology of Roman cities.
The urban morphology of a city is the layout of the city,
Figure 9.11
Athens, Greece. Looking down from the Acropolis, you can
see the agora, the ancient trade and market area, which is sur-
rounded by new urban buildings.
© H. J. de Blij.
Figure 9.12
Roman Empire c. 117 CE . The Romans established a system of cities linked by a network of
land and sea routes. Many of the Roman cities have grown into modern metropolises.
© E. H.
Fouberg, A. B. Murphy, H. J. de Blij, and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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