North vs. South

[Sculli]

If I had the time to look into it I would, it's an interesting subject:

How come the North is always more progressive than the South?

Let's let the American Civil War rest, and look at it from a global perspective. The northern Hemisphere, mid latitudes, is where progress has historically been made (let's also exclude Babylon and the Maya's, they were flukes).

Europe was leading the industrial revolution. Inventions, scientific breakthroughs, great composers and painters. all calling the North their home.

There has to be a compelling reason why those in the South didn't come up with these things. Perferably a reason that's better than "they are just too dumb".

 

[Galaika]

In England it is generally considered the other way round.

 

[Kat]

Well that's easy, cuz we rule^^.

*points at avatar*

Northern all the way baby!!!!

 

[Bigboy]

It has been contested that many of the larger advances in the southern hemisphere were actually destroyed or overlooked by northerners durring their visits to countries in Africa and South America. I recall hearing of one of the wealthiest cities in the world at one time being in Africa in a city build entirely out of ordinate stonework that acted as a huge trade city in goods including gold, ivory and so on.

Of course, it should not be ignored that Christianity first spread across northern Africa and the Christian Church of Ethiopia Predates any organized church in Europe by a long shot. Of course, a case has been made that the common beliefs between most southern hemisphere communities, being Animism, may have set them behind strictly because such a large focus on community reduced the expansion of competing tribes. As far as metal smelting, there is evidence of progression at similar rates in both Europe and Africa durring the same periods of time.

In the end the chief difference would be the birth of certain individuals that would make huge advances in sciences and warfare in a single lifetime. Sometimes I wonder if it was all just luck.

 

[Bajaratt]

I know in America at least, it had to do with the geography more than anything that caused the initial technological rift between the two sides; basically due to different needs. The South was excellent for farming just about anything, so their economy was naturally agrarian. Since the North couldn't grow as much, they eventually shifted towards an industrial economy and more technological advances.

This hardly applies to the world as a whole, but something similar could be the cause. The differences in resources in different regions would play a huge role in the development of a civilization.

 

[Tagrineth]

It could also have something to do with there being more land, period in the North than in the South... on average, more advances SHOULD happen in the North. : )

 

[Elemmire]

Inca ftw! they were in the southern empire. Pretty well developped.. but umm.. hmm most of the geography it seems where there are people living in the southern region does seem rather warm and humid sometimes. That can make working harder than with what I guess most of us are used to. Perhaps that's why?