Final answer:
The fourth known civilization developed in the Yellow and Yangtze river valleys, leveraging the fertile soil and natural water supply for agriculture, similar to other early civilizations along the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates, and Indus rivers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fourth known civilization developed in the Yellow and Yangtze river valleys. These Chinese dynasties benefited from the natural water supply provided by the heavy snowpack in the Himalayan Mountains. The meltwater and summer rains contributed to often devastating but also agriculturally beneficial floods in these valleys. In contrast, the civilization along the Nile river benefited from predictable flooding, allowing for effective agricultural planning. Meanwhile, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers saw the emergence of one of the earliest known civilizations, with the development of cities and writing. The Indus Valley civilization, east of Mesopotamia, was another early society that thrived in the fertile valley of the Indus River which flows south into the Indian Ocean. All of these civilizations developed along rivers, leveraging the fertile soil for agriculture and using the rivers for transportation and trade.