Title: Cultural Geography
1Cultural Geography
2Cultural Characteristics
- Cultural characteristics are parts of a groups
everyday life. They are the ideas and themes
which the group will teach to all members. These
same characteristics can also link or divide a
region.
3- Examples of cultural characteristics would be
language, religion, and ethnic heritage
4Examples of cultural characteristics
- Language
- Arabic unites the Arab world
- Spanish unites the Hispanic world
5- Brazil is the only South American nation which
does not speak Spanish. It speaks Portuguese.
6- Canada is a bilingual nation. French and English
is its official language.
7Examples of cultural characteristics
- Switzerland has multiple languages but very
little conflict between the groups - English is now considered the world language and
is used for most business transactions around the
world
8Examples of cultural characteristics
- Ethnic Heritage
- In Yugoslavia, many ethnic groups were made into
one country (Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Albanians).
9- When strong leadership died out, the different
groups fought a very bloody civil war and now
they all have separate countries
10Examples of cultural characteristics
- In the countries of Rwanda and Burundi in Africa,
Two ethnic groups are dominate, the Tutsis and
the Hutus.
11- The Hutus are dominate in one and they persecute
the Tutsis, and the Tutsis are dominate in the
other
12- and they persecute the Hutus. It has led to
almost constant war between the groups.
13Examples of cultural characteristics
- The United States and Switzerland have peacefully
merged multiple ethnic groups in their countries. - Korea and Japan have primarily one ethnic group
14- On the island of Cyprus, the Greeks and the Turks
try to gain control
15Examples of cultural characteristics
- Religion can be both a unifying force.
- There are five major religions in the world
today--Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam.
16- They have millions of followers all believing the
same thing.
17Examples of cultural characteristics
- Religion can also be a dividing force around the
world. - Hindus and Muslims fight in India (Hindu) and
Pakistan (Muslim)
18- There are conflicts between Catholics and
Protestants (two forms of Christianity) in
Northern Ireland
19- Jews, Christians and Muslims all claim Jerusalem
as their religions holy site. They are
constantly fighting over the land
20Spatial divisions
- Spatial divisions are how we divide the livable
space found on the earth by establishing social,
economic, and political control.
21- You can be a member of more than one spatial
group. - Spatial divisions can also cause conflicts or
cooperation
22Spatial divisions
- Examples of Spatial Divisions--
- Countries
- Economic alliances
- European Union (EU)
- Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC)
23Examples of Spatial Divisions-Economic Alliances
cont.
- North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations
24Spatial divisions
- Examples of Spatial Divisions
- Political alliances
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Commonwealth of Nations
- Organization of American States (OAS)
25Examples of Spatial DivisionsPolitical alliances
cont.
- League of Arab States
- African Union (AU)
26Spatial divisions
- Reasons for spatial divisions
- differences in culture, language, or religion
- keeping of historical boundaries
- imperial conquest and control
- economic similarities and differences
27Reasons for spatial division conflicts
- Boundary and territorial disputes--Syria/Israel,
Western Sahara/Morocco, China/Taiwan,
India/Pakistan, Iraq/Kuwait
28Reasons for spatial division conflicts
- Cultural differences (language and
religion)--Indonesia, Canada (Quebec), Ireland,
Sudan - Nationalism--(the belief that your nation is
superior to all others)
29Reasons for spatial division conflicts
- Economic differences--fertile land, access to
fresh water, access to the coast, fishing rights,
natural resources, different economic philosophies
30Reasons for spatial division conflicts
- Ethnic differences--Balkans (Europe), Cyprus
(Europe), Rwanda and Burundi (Africa), Kashmir
(India)
31Examples of Cooperation
- Humanitarian--Red Cross, Red Crescent
- Economic Alliances--NAFTA, Law of the Sea,
multinational corporations, OPEC
32Examples of Cooperation
- Cultural Alliances--French speaking world,
Commonwealth of Nations - Military Alliances--NATO
- Problem-solving Alliances--United Nations (UN),
Antarctica Treaty
33Examples of Cooperation
- Programs to promote international understanding--
- Peace Corps
- Foreign Aid
- Alliances for environmental preservation