Global Cultures

Chapter 4 // Lesson 1

Elements of Culture• Culture – a way of life of a group of people who

share similar ways of thinking, believing, customs, technology, and material items.

• Ex: – Language -Art

– Religion -Government

– Daily life -Technology

– History -Economy

Culture Region – divisions in which people share a similar way of life (including language, religion, economy, and values.)

Language• -key element in a culture’s development

• Used to communicate information and experiences

• Also used to pass on cultural values and traditions

• Some regions have dialects – a local form of language that differs from the main language.– Includes differences in pronunciation and meaning of

words

Language

• Linguists are people who study languages

• Language families – large groups of languages having similar roots

• Ex:

– Indo-European:

• English

• Spanish

• Russian

Language Family Map

• Language family map -- mcgraw hill

Religion

• Religious beliefs vary significantly around the world

– For many people, religion provides an important sense of identity.

• Influences many aspects of daily life

– Practice of moral values

– Celebration of holidays & festivals

Judaism - Hannukah

Buddhism - Festival of Lights

Christianity - Christmas

Hinduism - Holi Festival

• Throughout history, religious symbols and stories have shaped cultural expressions such as literature, painting & sculpture, architecture, and music.

•In all cultures, family forms an important social group

• Most cultures are also made up of social classes, groups of people ranked according to ancestry, wealth, education, or other criteria.

• Ethnic groups – are made up of people who share a common language, history, or place of origin.

Government

• Governments help shape culture

– Maintain order within the country

– Provide protection from outside dangers

– Supply services to the people

• Categorized by levels of power

– National

– Regional

– local

Government

• Categorized by type of authority

– Single ruler

– Small group of leaders

– A body of citizens and their representatives

Economics

• What people do for a living also shapes a culture

– Farming

– Industry -etc.

• Geographers study how a culture utilizes its natural resources to meet needs such as food and shelter.

Cultural Change•Internal factors

• new ideas, lifestyles, and inventions

• Spatial interaction

– war, trade, and migration

Cultural diffusion - spread of new knowledge from one culture to another

-major factor in cultural development since the dawn of human history

Cultural Change in Historyculture hearths - early centers of civilization whose ideas and practices spread to surrounding areas

-some of the most influential culture hearths developed in Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, China, and Mexico.

- all had mild climates and fertile land

- all located near a major water source

Culture Hearths• people migrated to the 5 culture hearths

because of these favorable conditions

• led to the agricultural revolution

–A major shift from food gathering to food production

- surplus food led to the rise of new civilizations and long distance trade

- this increased wealth which brought a need for government

- eventually led to Industrial Revolution

Cultural Change in the Contemporary World

Information Revolution

• the internet makes it possible to share ideas and practices easier across the world

• computer technology accelerates the spread of cultural change

• migration has also cause cultural change

–religious, political, or economic factors

–escaping war, persecution, or famines

Lesson 2: Population Geography

Population Growth

• More than 7 billion people live on Earth

–expected to level off at 9 billion around 2050

• 1000-1800 population grew slowly

• 1800 - 1950 population doubled

• 1950 - 2000 population doubled again

The Demographic Transition model

• demography - the study of populations

birth rate - # of births per year for every 1,000 people

death rate - # of deaths per year for every 1,000 people

natural increase : growth rate of population

an area’s birth rate - death rate

migration - the movement of people from place to place

The demographic transition model uses birthrates and death rates to show how populations in countries or regions can change over time.

Death rates can fall quickly as a result of more abundant and reliable food supplies, improved health care, access to medicine and technology, and better living conditions.

Birth rates decline more slowly because the declines result from changes in cultural traditions that can often take longer.

zero population growth - when the birth rate and death rate are equal

Although birth rates have fallen significantly in many countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America over the past 40 years, they are still higher than in the industrialized world.

Families in these regions traditionally are large because of cultural beliefs about marriage, family, and the value of children.

in lesser developed countries, the doubling time can be 50 years.

in more developed countries, doubling time can take up to 300 years

Challenges of Growth-as the number of people in a community grows, so does the difficulty in producing enough food to feed them

- also, populations that grow rapidly use resources more quickly (ex: water, housing, clothing)

- uneven age distribution - some populations have more children than adults, meaning less people able to contribute to food production.

population pyramid - a diagram that shows the distribution of a population by age and gender.

• some experts are pessimistic about the effects of population growth

• others are optimistic that creativity and technology will grow as the numbers do

In the late 1900s, some countries in Europe began to experience negative population growth.

• where annual death rates exceded birth rates

• this encourages migration as countries need more workers

Population DistributionP

physical distribution - the variations in population that occur across a country, continent, or the world.

• Almost everyone on Earth lives on less than ⅓ of the Earth’s land

–most people live near fertile soil, accessible water, climates without extremes

Of all the continents, Europe & Asia are most densely populated.

• Asia alone contains 60% of the Earth’s people

• Geographers determine how crowded a location is by measuring its population density

–how many people per square mile

• People are moving either from city to city, or from rural to urban areas.

–urbanization

• urbanization happens when people seek better jobs or lifestyles in urban areas (cities)

• About ½ of the world’s people live in cities

Pull factors - reasons for why people migrate (religious freedom, job opportunities, etc)

Lesson 3: Political Geography

Features of GovernmentOur world includes nearly 200 independent countries that vary in size, military might, natural resources, and world influence.

Countries are defined by territory, population,and sovereignty.

This is government.

-must make and enforce policies and laws that are binding upon all people living within its territory.

Levels of Government

Most large countries usually have several different levels of government

• usually include a national or central government, as well as the governments of smaller divisions such as provinces, states, counties (parishes), towns, and villages.

unitary system - gives all key powers to the national or central government

-central government creates state, provincial, or other local governments & gives them limited sovereignty.

ex: United Kingdom and France

federal system - divides the powers of government between the national government and state governments.

-each level has sovereignty in some areas

ex:The United States

• a confederation is a loose union of independent territories

ex: United States at first, Mexico, Australia

Types of Governments“Who governs the state?”

3 major groups of government:

1.Autocracy

2.Oligarchy

3.Democracy

Autocracies

• oldest and one of the most common forms of government

• most autocrats maintain authority through inheritance or forced military power

dictatorship

• Saddam Hussein (Iraq)

• Adolf Hitler (Nazi Germany)

• Kim Jong Un (North Korea)

Monarchy

-form of autocracy

- king or queen has supreme power

-inherited position

- absolute monarchs have complete and unlimited to power to rule ( Saudi Arabia)

Oligarchy - any system of government in which a small group holds power.

Communism

most communist countries are oligarchies

ex: China

leaders in the communist party use military to control the government

theocracy

• a government of officials believed to be divinely inspired

• Islamic sharia law (North Africa & Southwest Asia)

democracy - any system of government in which leaders rule with the consent of the citizens.

-Greek (demos - people) (kratia - rule)

-the key is that the people hold sovereign power

representative democracy

• people elect representatives to make laws and conduct government

–council, legislature, congress, or parliament

Geography and Government

How does geography influence a country’s government?

• geographic areas can determine how political units are drawn up

• democratic countries have entities based on location in local bodies that might have different laws

• geography influences governments as they develop policy to provide people with goods and services

• governments need to know where people move, why they move, and how this affects their relationship with the environment

• roads, bridges, power plants are examples of things built based on population distribution

natural boundary - follows physical geographic features such as mountains and rivers

ex: Mississippi River forms natural borders for some U.S. states

• more defensible and easy to identify

cultural boundaries - divide two identifiable cultures

ex: when Britain split India and created Pakistan

• Muslims went to India, Hindus went to Pakistan

geometric boundaries - often follow straight lines and do not account for natural and cultural features

ex: Libya, Egypt, Algeria

Conflict and CooperationGlobal cooperation is frustrated by

• border disputes

• tensions over large territories

• multiple ethnic groups living one state

• competition for resources

• control over strategic sites

• nationalism

–a belief that the individual’s loyalty and devotion to the nation surpasses other individual or group interests.

terrorism is a type of political conflict

• inspires fear and is any violent or destructive act committed to intimidate a people or government.

–not usually government supported

–ex: September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Centers

Terrorism is usually carried out as to maximize severity length of psychological impact

Alliances can be explored from a geographic perspective

ex:

United Nations (UN) - international organization who aims at facilitating cooperation in international law, security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and world peace.

Lesson 4: Economic Geography

Economic SystemsThree Basic economic decisions:

1.what and how many goods and services should be produced

2.how they should be produced

3.who gets the goods and services that are produced

traditional economy - where habit and custom determine the rules for all economic activity

• individuals are not free to make decisions based on what they would like to have

• behavior is defined by elders & ancestors

ex: Inuit tradition (northern Canada) hunters shared their food with the village

advantages: everyone knows their role

disadvantages: society is slow to change

market economy - individuals and private groups make decisions about what things to produce

• consumers choose what products they will or will not buy

• businesses produce more of what they see the consumers want

this is based on free enterprise

• the idea that private individuals or groups have the right to own property or businesses and make a profit with limited government interference

In a Free Market system,

capitalism

-people are free to choose what jobs they’ll have and where they will work

- people have the ability to make as much money as they can

- government tries to stay out of business, and there is great variety of goods and services

mixed economies - the government supports and regulates free enterprise through decisions that affect the marketplace.

• government’s main goal is to preserve the free market by keeping competition free & fair and by supporting public interests

• they also influence their economies by spending tax revenues to support social services

command economy - the government owns or directs the means of production (land, labor, capital (machinery, factories), and business managers) and controls the distribution of goods

These countries :

• distribute goods and services equally among all people

• public taxes for housing and health care for all people

• citizens have no voice

Examples of command economies:

• socialism & communism, involve heavy government control

• government decides what & how much to produce

• lack freedom to make decisions or to foster new businesses

• Soviet Union ( Russia), China, Vietnam

Economic DevelopmentAll the world’s economic activities are classified into 4 types:

1. Primary economic activities

a. farming,fishing, forestry, mining

involve taking or using natural resources directly from the Earth

2.) Secondary economic activities

a.) use raw materials that are new and more valuable than original raw material

ex: manufacturing automobiles, assembling electronic goods, producing electric power, or making pottery

3.) Tertiary economic activities

a.) do not involve directly acquiring and remaking natural resources. These provide services to people and businesses

ex: doctors, teachers, lawyers, bakers, truck drivers, and store clerks

4.) Quaternary economic activities

a.) concerned with processing, management, and distribution of information

ex: “white collar” jobs - education, government, business, information processing, and research

Tertiary economic activities

Quaternary economic activities

industrialization - the spread of industry

more developed countries - those having more technology & manufacturing

ex: Canada & The United States

• most work in service or information industries

• enjoy a high standard of living

• only a few need to grow enough for the food for the entire population

newly industrialized have moved from primarily agricultural activities to primarily manufacturing and industrial activities.

• this transition often brings improvements in socioeconomic development.

–ex: Mexico, Malaysia, and Turkey

less developed countries are countries that exhibit the lowest levels of socioeconomic development

• agriculture remains dominant

ex:primarily in Africa, Asia, Latin America

Economies and World Trade

World trade is the exchange of capital, labor, goods, and services across international borders - involving import or export of goods

Factors Promoting a network of trade:

1. unequal distribution of natural resources

a. countries trade resources they have to get resources they need

2.) differences in labor costs and education

a.) headquarters are often located in a developed country, where as manufacturing or assembly is locating in newly developed or less developed countries

Difference between international and domestic trade:

international trade is typically more costly due to additional costs such as tariffs, time costs, and costs associated with country differences (language, legal system, etc)

emerging markets - nations with social or business activity in the process of rapid growth or industrialization

ex: China & India

Lesson 5: Urban Geography

The Nature of Cities

The Industrial Revolution ushered in a new age of urbanization in the world’s history.

urban sprawl - spreading of urban developments on land near a city

• Earth’s urban population is growing faster than its rural population

• 82% of Americans now live in Urban areas

• more than ⅔ of people in Russia, Japan, and Australia

this growth is due to connectivity

• the directness of routes and communication linking pairs of places

The Function of CitiesThe first cities were established about 5,000 years ago, but it has only been the last 200 years that cities have grown significantly

At the start of the 21st century:

• 1 in 10 people lived in a city

By 2025:

• (it is expected) ⅔ of the world’s population will live in urban areas

• all cities serve a variety of functions ( special purposes)

• the larger the city, the more functions it will have. These functions will also have more variety.

Larger city functions:

• manufacturing retail

• service centers

Cities also tend to be centers of culture and creativity

-artists, musicians, architects, philosophers, scientist, and writers navigate toward cities

Urban areas have advantages and disadvantages

advantage:

1.diversity of people encourages innovation and creativity

disadvantage:

2.large populations mean overcrowding, crime, poverty, conflict, and pollution

metropolitan area - a region that includes a central city and its surrounding suburbs

The Structure of Cities

Urban structure is the arrangement of land use in urban areas.

Concentric Zone Model

• based on Chicago, IL

-created by Ernest Burgess in 1924

- a city grows outward from a central point in a series of rings

Sector Model

• proposed by Homer Hoyt in 1939

• a city develops in sectors instead of rings

Multiple Nuclei Model

• developed by C.D. Harris & E.L. Ullman in 1945

• cities contain more than one center

• different centers for different activities

Patterns of Urbanization

Factors that grow population:

• navigable water sources

• sometimes mountainous regions (for protection from enemies)

• available food sources or fertile farmland

Factors that shrink population:

• when industry is no longer needed, people will move on

• ghost town

central place theory - a spatial theory in urban geography that attempts to explain the reasons behind the distribution patterns, size, and number of cities and towns around the world.

Bodie, California

<<<<<<<<

Centralia, Pennsylvania >>>>>>>

world city - a city generally considered to plan an important role in the global economic system.

• internationally diverse cultures

• active influence and interaction in world affairs

• large population

• major international airport

• advanced transportation system

ex: Istanbul, New York City

Istanbul, Turkey

New York City, New York

Challenges of Urban Growthurbanization involves more than population growth

• economic, social, and political structures

Effect on Rural areas:

• insufficient land to grow crops

• not enough jobs to accommodate migrants looking for employment

Effect on modern cities:

• addiction, crime, pollution, homelessness, poor housing, gang violence

Urban Sprawl

• increases traffic

• uses up local resources

• destroys open space

• diminishes the local character of the community