The Greeks civilization developed from geographic features that ensured its success. The two primary geographic factors were the access to the seas and the mountains. The mountainous landscape forced Greeks to develop independent city-states because groups of the population were separated. Because of the development of independent cities, the Greeks only had to support small populations of people early on. This allowed for slow and steady growth. As the population outpaced agricultural production, the Greeks looked throughout the Mediterranean Sea to establish colonies for trade. Because of the easy access to the Sea, the Greeks realized very early in its history the importance of navigating the seas. By traveling the Mediterranean and establishing colonies for trade, the Greeks not only spread their culture to other lands but benefited from cultural contact themselves.

While the earliest Greek cities were ruled by monarchs, this quickly evolved into systems of citizen control of the government, or popular sovereignty. When the citizens gained access to government, they had a stake in the city-state, which allowed for its continued success. This created a sense of civic pride and duty that is not possible under most monarchs.