Geography has played a big role in history and made each empire unique in its own way. Geography has positive and negative effects on location, access to resources and trade. For the Spanish and Mongol empires, geography played a role in state formation and also affected their governing strategies. Since the Mongol Empire began in the 11th century and the Spanish Empire in the 15th century, the effects of geography were very different with respect to state formation and forms of government. However, there were some slight similarities in the process of building their empires. 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 territories across the Afro-Eurasian landmass while the Spanish Empire devoted its attention to overseas territories. The Mongol and Spanish empires had some similarities when considering their path to building a successful empire. Trade was very important to the Mongol and Spanish empires. With geography limiting access to resources, trade was the ideal mechanism to reveal this problem. Both empires prospered thanks to the trade networks they created. The Mongol and Spanish empires relied heavily on trade to access resources they did not have at home. The Mongol Empire valued and encouraged trade due to its lack of resources. The Silk Roads were the main trading network linked to the Mongol Empire. Trade was important to the Mongols because they could tax it. Secure trade routes were a result of the Mongols allowing cities to flourish and prosper with the rise of paper......the fire was centered in the New World. The conquistadors conquered the indigenous people of the Americas and forced them to work for them. There were designated territorial boundaries that created new colonies that the Spanish could 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. The Mongol and Spanish empires changed due to their geography. Trade was both a driving force behind the Mongol and Spanish empires, but the Mongols were concentrated in Afroeurasia while the Spanish expanded overseas. Both the Mongol and Spanish empires were limited geographically before their expansion due to their unique geographic location and lack of resources. Both empires were driven by a desire to increase their power, which affected their state formation and manner of governing..