80
°E
120
°E
40 °N
ASIA
AFRICA
EUROPE
INDIA
CHINA
INDIAN OCEAN
Tig
ris
R.
Hua
ng
He
(Ye
llo
w
R.)
Eu
ph
rat
esR
N.
ile
R. In
du
sR
.
SAHARA
KALAHARI
DESERT
AR
AB
IAN
DE
SE
RT
TAK
LIMAK
AN
DESE
RT
NA
M
IB
DE
SE
RT
Jarmo
Jericho Pan-po
NORTH
AMERICA
SOUTH
AMERICA
Tehuacan
Valley
SONORANDESERT
AT
AC
AM
AD
ES
ER
T
PACIFIC
OCEAN
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
Tropic of Cancer
0 ° Equator
Tropic of Capricorn
80
°W
0
0
1,000 Miles
2,000 Kilometers
Agriculture by 5,000 B.C.
Agriculture by 3,000 B.C.
Agriculture by 2,000 B.C.
Agriculture by 500 B.C.
Major crops
Sorghum
Rice
Soybeans
Grapes
Olives
Wheat
Cotton
Corn
Bananas
Barley
Potato
0 2,000 Kilometers
0 1,000 Miles
Agriculture Emerges, 5000–500 B.C.
▲ A Neolithic grindstone and vessel
used to grind grain
The Peopling of the World 17
SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps and Charts
1.MapWhat geographic feature favored the development of agricultural areas before 5000 B.C.?
2.ChartWhat effect did the agricultural revolution have on population growth? Why?
Agricultural Revolution
50 °
52 °
54 °
56 °
58 °
60 °
2025 1015 15
Average Global Temperature
(in Fahrenheit)
Years Ago (in thousands)
beginnings of
agriculture
last ice age
Source: Ice Ages, Solving the Mystery
Temperature
0
25
50
75
10 0
125
150
2025 1015 15
Years Ago (in thousands)
Hunting-
gathering
stage
Agricultural
Revolution
World Population
(in millions)
Post-
Agricultural
Revolution
Source: A Geography of Population: World Patterns