by Jared Diamond · 1997
Diamond argues that the divergent historical trajectories of societies on different continents stem from geographic and environmental factors: the availability of domesticable plants and animals and continental axis orientation, which gave some regions a head start in food production leading to denser populations, epidemic diseases, writing, technology, and centralized political organization. The book traces this argument from the Cajamarca encounter between Pizarro and Atahuallpa through the origins of farming, livestock-borne germs, writing, and technology, then applies the framework to Polynesia, China, Eurasia, and Africa.