| Abstract: |
Terrain and climate determine the potential productivity of local environments and the relative ease of exchange. People, objects and ideas move along the resulting routes, weaving the fabric of interconnected histories. In pre-industrial eras it was geography that set limits, creating risks, imposing constraints and conferring opportunities. Unless this is fully recognised, history seems arbitrary. In Southeast Asia’s eastern archipelagos, land met sea in horizons created by the thrust of rugged mountains, or the flat expanse of water. The territories, relationships and events described in the rest of this book were shaped by the realities described in this chapter.
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