<P> While the southern coast of the United States is located in similar latitudes of Southern Spain and Morocco, the climate is dominated by weather patterns moving overland as opposed to the oceanic weather patterns that dominate Western Europe . Due to this the east coast of North America is cooler than the regions congruent to it in the "Old World", with climate in the United States being roughly equivalent to climates 40 - 60 degrees latitude in Europe . During the time of colonization this effect was even more pronounced as the world was in the middle of the "Little Ice Age". The soil there is moist, which was perfect for farming . </P> <P> Colonization of the South during the period of 1600--1650 was mainly confined to Virginia and the Jamestown region in particular . While the majority of people who initially arrived at Jamestown in the first few years of colonization were Englishmen, the Virginia Company did hire artisans from Prussia, the Netherlands and Poland to fill the ranks of colonists, with the hope that they would be able to produce profitable goods for the company to sell in England . </P> <P> Population growth was very slow at first, and depended on an increasing amount of settlers coming into Jamestown . Besides recruiting foreign artisans, the Virginia company tried many schemes to increase settlement of the colony, including transporting "Vagrant Children" from England to Virginia and shipping young women to be married to colonists . The Virginia Company also began to use the practice of indentured servitude, promising land at the end of the term to increase immigration to the colonies. 1619 marked the first time African slaves were brought to the colony, when 20 arrived on the White Lion, a Dutch trade ship that had captured them from a Portuguese slave ship . During the English Civil War and the Commonwealth Period of England, Virginia was a haven for cavaliers or royalists still loyal to the crown to live, known as Virginia Cavaliers . </P> <P> The colonization of the south was greatly affected by the geography of the region . Jamestown Island (then a peninsula) itself was chosen for its physical geographic properties . Located inland a ways the peninsula offered protection from European powers as well as the James River ran deep enough in that the colonists could anchor their ships off shore, providing a simple and easy access . Geography often had a role in playing in settlement selection in the south, with most early settlements only extending as far inland as ships or boat could easily travel . The fall line between the piedmont and tidewater region is marked by settlements on where boats could not travel further due to the waterfalls and rapids common in this region . </P>

What geographic advantage did the colony of virginia enjoy