ABSTRACT
Riversexercisecontrastinginfluencesontheactivitiesofpeopleindifferent partsoftheworld.Tosomeextent,theinfluencesexerteddependonthe characteroftheriver,butmoresoonthenatureofthesurroundingcatchmentarea.Somelargerivershaveaunifyingeffect,attractingsettlement alongtheirbanks;theNileinEgyptandthegreatriversofChinaareinthis category.Othersarebarriers,formingfrontiersbetweennations,although atthesametimebeingusedforcommunications;theRhineandDanubeare examplesofthissecondgroup.Inveryfewinstancesintheoldercivilizations doesasingleadministrativeauthorityhavejurisdictionoverawholeriver basin.Moregenerally,thebenefitsofriversaresharedamongdifferent communities,andsomelevelofagreementbetweenthemhastobereached beforemajorregulatingworkscanbeaccomplished.
