Geography played an important role in history and made each empire unique in its own way. Geography has had positive and negative effects in terms of location, access to resources, and trade. For the Spanish and Mongol empires, geography played a role in state formation and influenced their governing strategies. Considering that the Mongol Empire began in the 11th century and the Spanish Empire in the 15th century, the effects that geography had were significantly different regarding the formation of states and forms of government, however, there were some slight similarities in the process of building their states. empires. Both the Mongol and Spanish empires were similar in that they used trade as a mechanism for expansion and connection, however they differed in that the Mongol empire focused on conquering territory throughout the Afro-Eurasian landmass while the Spanish empire dedicated its attention to overseas territory. The Mongol and Spanish empires had some similarities when considering their path to building a successful empire. Trade was very important to both the Mongols and the Spanish empires. Since geography limited access to resources, trade was the ideal mechanism to highlight this problem. Both empires flourished thanks to the trade networks they created. The Mongol and Spanish empires relied heavily on trade to gain access to resources they did not have in their own locations. The Mongol Empire valued and encouraged trade due to the lack of resources. The Silk Roads were the main trade network connected to the Mongol Empire. Trade was important to the Mongols because they could tax it. Secure trade routes were the result of the Mongols allowing cities to flourish and prosper with spre...... middle of paper ...... fire was centered in the New World. The conquistadors conquered the natives of the Americas and forced them to work for them. There were designated territorial boundaries that created new colonies for the Spanish to rule over. The Spanish forced the natives of the colonies to work in the mines. Geography has the power to influence how an empire is formed and how it governs. Both the Mongol and Spanish empires changed due to their geography. Trade was a driving force for both the Mongol and Spanish empires, but the Mongols were concentrated in Afroeurasia while the Spanish expanded overseas. The Mongol and Spanish empires were both geographically limited before their expansion due to their individual locations and lack of resources. Both empires were driven by the desire to increase their power and this influenced the formation of states and the way they governed.