The Geographic Features
The area around Jamestown had fertile soil and adequate water supplies in order to maintain reasonable harvests. This was utilized in the growing of tobacco plants. Similarly, further out, timber and iron could be found and used. These geographic locations and natural resources were instrumental in allowing settlers to emerge from starvation and prosper. The main reason for choosing this particular place for colonialists was the desire to have protection from the local population and other European colonizers. The chosen location was a peninsula, which was protected on three sides by dense forests and three other geographical factors: James River, Back River, and Sandy Bay.
In addition, the chosen location made it easy and safe to trade with passing ships, which also had to facilitate an affordable return to England. Another factor was the location of the rivers, which were very wide and long. According to the assumptions of the settlers, this factor should contribute to the development of trade with overseas populations (Historic Jamestowne). Another aspect was that Spanish traders brought gold from the territory of future Virginia. Consequently, the settlers sought to gain access to a precious resource while having protection from the local population. Another critical factor was the mountains and snow, which should have contributed to easy access to drinking water.
The Negative Characteristics
The reasons to leave this place were related to geographical features and economic development. Thus, in 1612, one of the settlers, farmer John Rolfe, crossed different varieties of tobacco: grown by Indians and the one he brought from Bermuda (Historic Jamestowne). It was found that it grew well in Virginia’s lands and was very popular with the English population. To grow tobacco, the colonists needed more and more land, so they gradually cut down forests and drove the Indians out of there. Naturally, this could not pass without a trace: soon, another round of settler wars with the Indians began. In addition, polluted drinking water became another factor, leading to the death of many of the population. Another reason was that gold and other precious resources could not be found in this territory. Consequently, the population was forced to change the place of settlement in order to continue development.
Work Cited
Historic Jamestowne. “History of Jamestown.” Historic Jamestowne, n. d.