The Provided Environment

Given the notion of being (one of) the first populations of mankind on Earth, how can a civilization survive in the provided environment?

When first deciding on where to locate our civilization, our group conversed about what location had the essentials, or elements which could provide the essentials more easily, already there. We decided on placing our society in the current location of Chicago, Illinois, because we figured that it provided the civilization with three significant features, environmentally speaking, which would allow the society to sustain their population and live with the essential resources around them without needing to establish anything major. 

The location of Chicago supply the civilization with resources which could be used to their extreme advantage, considering the minimal developed relationship the population had with the environment at the time. Bordering the lake, one of the few extensive mass, fresh water sources in the region, fulfills the need for drinking water, water for crops, and water for livestock. Therefore, the population would not have to establish a substantial system by which water is transported from far away distances. The closeness and connivence of the water also eliminates the chance that the water become contaminated, dirty, or infested with organisms not native to it; this places the population at a high leveled advantage that allows it to prosper without the ongoing worry of a water source. Plus, it provides a heavily relied on food source, fish, which were depended on my countless of people to fulfill the essential survival need of eating. 

Being in the location they are issues the civilization with yet an another benefit of having multiple food sources surrounding them, whether it be a biotic or abiotic aspect of the ecosystem. Fish, being one major source of food, is the first provider. Also, the area is populated with bison, being the main crucial source of meat for the population. Bison supplies individuals with the nourishment needed for survival, as well as nutrients such as iron and protein, benefiting the individual’s health in addition to the need for food. Other biotic food sources include the many species of crops, such as corn and wheat, which are harvested and grown all over the region in the ideal conditions for growing crops which the location provides us with. The civilization immensely relies on the crops grown as other food sources as meats are more expensive and rare, whereas the crops are in abundance and supply similar and different nutrients to the population. There is also a population of pigs and sheep which were obtained from the western lands as the population migrated towards the lake and harvested, produced, and kept. Pigs and Sheep also go towards fulfilling the need for food as they are sources of pork and other meats. The livestocks and animals serve more than one purpose, though, as the civilization is passionate about using resources to their utmost potential. The bison and sheep’s outer coats, wool and furs, are skinned and used as clothing for warmth purposes during the harsh winters as well as materials for construction used to build structures such as houses and coverings (roofs for shade). 

Lastly, the area is abundant and densely populated with trees. The entire civilization is fundamentally structured around the usage of trees. The trees provide a natural and solid defense system, as the entire civilization is enclosed on one side by the lake, and the remaining borders are edged by thick trees. This blocks away all potential offenders and intruders. The trees also provide shade, as the summers become incredibly high in temperature, the trees are a natural source of shade which is really valuable during the hot seasons. Trees also supply wood, the resource which is used more than any other in the civilization. Wood is put into use for construction purposes as it builds the structures of almost all the buildings which stand. It also is the basis of the irrigation system which runs through much of the civilization providing water to areas distanced away from the lake. Using wood supplies a base which is sustainable through all seasons and is stable, sprouting all other resources to blossom and allows the fundamental existence of the population; without water, no biotic factors would be able to survive--wood allows them so prosper. Trees also grow leaves and house organisms which are essential to the environment. Without the high population of trees, little fresh oxygen would be given off to all aspects of the environment, and nutrients which they provide would be absent from society, causing a potentially huge environmental catastrophe. 

Being located in central North America provides this civilization with the environmental resources all civilizations need, right at their fingertips. It has a consistent supply of water, the proper conditions, land, and species to allow food sources to grow, and an abundance of trees which serve an unlimited amount of purposes. If the environment did not supply the population with their essential survival needs and other natural resources, the structure and concept of civilization would be much changed and establish a much more challenging lifestyle.