The first civilizations formed on the banks of rivers. The most notable examples are: 1. the Ancient [[Egypt|Egyptians]], who were based on the Nile, 2. the [[Mesopotamia|Mesopotamians]] in the [[Fertile Crescent|Fertile Crescent]] on the Tigris/Euphrates rivers, 3. the [[China|Ancient Chinese]] on the Yellow River, 4. the [[Harappan]] civilization on the Indus River.