### Instruction: Which rivers were the birthplaces of the first great civilizations?
### Response: The first great civilizations arose near rivers, where they could develop agriculture. The Egyptian civilization arose around the Nile, the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; the Harappa and Mohenjo Daro cultures arose along the Indus river (Pakistan), and the ancient Chinese civilization arose around the Yangtze river.