In lots of ways! Here are some logical effects:
- Greece=lots of mountains
....=>dependent on the sea and trade => shipbuilding is big
....=>poor roads => isolated city-states rather than empires
....=>availability of metals and stone
-no large rivers, poor-ish soil => fewer crops=>smaller cities
....=> democratic government works better in small towns
....=>hunter-gatherers have trouble getting food
........=>development of sedentary cultures, civilization, husbandry, intensive agri-/horti- culture (It takes a decade for an olive tree to grow!)
........=>not many strong hostile nomadic tribes
-warm climate
....=>people spend more time outside
........=>public gatherings
............=>entertainment/arts
............=>popular politics
You could go on for a long time - but, perhaps most importantly:
-Greece = proximity to major trade routes!!
....Phoenicians ....Etruscans, then Romans ....Asia Minor
Even Egypt, actually
