What was an upper and a lower region?
score:16
Typically it refers to a river, and "lower" is down-river (closer to the coast), while "upper" is up-river (further inland). This is because the land at the mouth of a river is lower (in altitude) than the land near its source. Basic physics here.
This goes for most instances where you see an upper/lower distinction. For your examples, Egypt is based on position on the Nile (which flows northward into the Mediterranean) and the other two both used position on the Danube (which flows eastward into the Black sea) as their directional indicator.
This principle sometimes get applied in unexpected places. For example High German (or "upper German") refers to the dialects spoken in the interior of the European continent, while Low German is the dialects spoken nearer the coast. It is not (as many assume) any commentary on the perceived quality of the dialects themselves*.
* - unlike the terms high church and low church, and many other English high/low couplets relating to social things, which are totally a commentary on their perceived quality.
Upvote:5
It's normally to do with the relative positions up- or down-river.
For example,
- Upper Egypt is up-river on the River Nile, relative to Lower Egypt
- Lower Austria derives its name from its downriver location on the Danube River, relative to Upper Austria.
- Moesia Superior (Upper Moesia) was up-river relative to Moesia Inferior (Lower Moesia)
Upvote:7
"Upper" and "lower" refer to highlands and lowlands of a country, usually defined by one (or more) rivers.
Upper Egypt refers to the plateaus/highlands next to Sudan and Ethiopia, near the sources of the Nile River. Lower Egypt refers to lower lands nearer the (Mediterranean) coast.
Upper Austria refers to the Austrian Alps in the west. Lower Austria refers to the plains/plateau further east. They are connected by the Danube River that flows west to east; i.e. "downhill."
Moesia Superior was on the Balkan highlands, in modern Serbia and Macedonia. Moesia Inferior was in the lowlands of modern Bulgaria and Romania, on the Black Sea coast. The two are also connected by the Danube.
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