The Worlds of North and South: Explore and then explain the differences between life in the North and South (prior to the Civil War) by examining the following: Geographic differences Economic differences Transportation differences Societal differences **Make sure in your searches you include *prior to civil war or *before civil war. Example: Geography North South The northern soil and climate favored smaller farmsteads rather than large plantations. The fertile soil and warm climate of the South made it ideal for large-scale farms and crops like tobacco and cotton.