2: connect east africa’s geographic proximity to the indian ocean to its historic development. how might the region have developed differently if it were in an inland desert or mountainous area?

The main thing is that being in the coast, East Africa’s proximity to the sea facilitate trade and the connection to other cultures for the movement of visitors and traders.  

The region might develope differently if it were on an inland desert or in a mountainous area. The trade could have not been an advantage for the difficulties of the geography of a desert or a mountain area. East Africa’s geographic proximity to the Indian Ocean truly allowed the region to its historical development.