Chapter 5 presents case studies in support of the argument that natural harbors facilitate democratic development. The chapter divides the world geographically into seven major regions: Europe, North Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Comparisons are drawn both across and within each region using a "most-similar" style of analysis. Regions where states were uncommon prior to the arrival of Europeans are set aside for analysis later in the book. Equally, regions outside Europe are only considered during the pre-colonial era, with later periods treated elsewhere.