Why Did Human History Unfold Differently On Different Continents For the Last 13,000 Years?

     A. Diamonds major theme is that continents developed differently due to the geography and resources in that environment and not because of the biology of the people living in those continents.  This can be directly attributed to the animals, crops, and resources found on each continent.  An example of this is Tasmania.  They didn't remain hunters and gatherers because they were unable to learn how to advance, but because they simply did not have the proper resources to learn how to once their way to the mainland was cut off.

     B. Diamond identifies geographical location as the most important determinants of a societies success.  He points out many times that continents that span east and west had a far greater advantage in the spreading of domesticated animals and crops because the climate was relatively the same.  The New World and Africa has a north and south distribution and this proved to be difficult when trying to grow crops and breed domesticated animals throughout the region.  Because crops grew much easier in the Old World compared the the New World and Africa the human population was much greater.  This was also important when it came to the spreading of diseases because people living in more populated areas tended to have an imune system that was more likely to fight off these infectious diseases that killed many people in the New World.

     C. We can still see these ideas applied to today's global economy in the sense that the same people are still leading in technology to this day.  Europeans and the people living on the land they conquered are still leading in technology compared to regions such as Africa.  Because of this technology many regions such as Tasmania are no longer living in isolated communities and can share the knowledge that they are learning with other regions instead of losing what they have learned because of a lack on contact.