Essay 8
To what extent can a country’s geographic location be beneficial?
Out of seven continents, there are nearly 200 countries that make up our global society, each
location varying between safe-haven and dangerous terrain. Some countries in tropical locations
or those found along natural fault lines tend to face the horrific realities of natural disasters
including earthquakes and hurricanes while others are conveniently landlocked, naturally
protected from earth’s elements or invasions man-made.
The size of the country plays an instrumental role in determining how comfortable it feels, with
smaller countries often exposed to the unfair manipulation of larger, neighboring regions. In the
past, both Belgium and Denmark have faced difficulties due to their location geographically. For
example, Belgium’s involvement in World Wars I and II had a lot to do with being situated
between Germany and France. Similarly, the French and English armies overran smaller scale
nations in Africa. Unfortunately, the borders of smaller countries have been prone to misuse by
stronger, larger ones, making location problematic at times when it comes to military strategy.
If they can sidestep the territorial pressures of larger nations, however, a country’s location can
serve as a benefit when it partners with these neighbors. Britain and France are a mere swim
across the English Channel from one another and have been allies in both world wars as a
result. This close contact makes them more likely to work together when tumultuous times arise.
When Adolf Hitler rose to power in the late 1930s, for example, he decided to invade France to
increase his power, but hundreds of British troops were shipped across the Channel to reinforce
France’s defense. As a result of geography, France mustered an enormous defeat over one of
the most notorious dictators of all-time.
Despite the benefit of next-door neighbours, nations still face geographic drawbacks if the
country happens to rest near the edge of the tectonic plate, a geographic feature that leads to
catastrophic natural disasters. Coastal states in the U.S. like California and Washington, for
instance, keep a close watch on earthquake-causing fault lines.
But physical positioning on the map also invites natural disasters in the form of harsh weather
conditions. Annually, tropical areas near the equator, such as the southern tip of Florida and
Caribbean countries like Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, are in danger of the hurricaneforce winds that could utterly decimate entire regions. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina bypassed the
state of Florida, gathering speed as it made its way across the Gulf of Mexico, only to devastate
the coastline of New Orleans. Seaside buildings and homes, along with the essence of the
Louisiana culture, we’re wiped away by the tsunami-like waves caused by this hurricane’s brute
force, generated by near contact with the natural landscape and, because of their low-lying
position below sea level, location proved to be Louisiana’s worst, natural enemy.
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