Final answer:
Early civilizations typically developed in river valleys with fertile land and access to water, which were ideal for agriculture and sustaining large populations. These conditions enabled the rise of complex societies with specialized labor, organized government, and advances in writing and architecture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The locations of early civilizations can be described by the fact that civilizations emerged in river valleys rather than in mountainous regions, coastal areas, arid deserts, or isolated islands. The development of agriculture allowed larger populations to settle in a single area along the banks of rivers, where the soil was fertile and water was plentiful for irrigation, leading to the growth of complex societies. For instance, Mesopotamia developed around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Egyptian civilization arose along the Nile, and the early cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were located in the Indus River valley.
Cities like Uruk in Mesopotamia and Abydos in Egypt emerged close to waterways, which were advantageous for intensive agriculture, population growth, trade, and urban planning. These civilizations displayed features such as a specialized division of labor, the organization of government, and the development of writing systems—elements essential to what defines a civilization. Therefore, early civilizations typically formed in regions where conditions were ideal for sustaining large, settled populations and the development of a complex social structure.