APHG Unit 3: Intro to Culture & Landscapes

The shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that characterize a particular group or society

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​Culture:

• USA & Canada

• "Anglo-America," regions of North America settled by the British

• Large cities, open space

• Religion: Christianity; diverse

• Language English; diverse

Anglo means English.

North "Anglo" America

• Regions of the Western Hemisphere settled by the Spanish & Portuguese

• Mexico, Central America, South America

• Religion: Christianity (Catholic)

• Language: Spanish & Portuguese

Latin America

• Several distinct regions:

  • Western, Eastern, Northern, Mediterranean

• Many related languages & cultural traits.

• Mostly united by a common history

• Religion: Christianity

• Languages: Diverse; English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, etc.

Europe

• Massive, sparsely populated.

  • Parts of Eastern Europe, and most of Northern Asia

• Culturally part European, part Asian.

• Religion: Christianity, Islam, others

• Languages: Russian, Uzbek, Urdu, Persian, many others

Russia is a massive country on two continents, with a large mix of different ethnicities within. Neighboring countries are just as diverse.

Russia & Central Asia

• Extremely diverse region.

• Post-colonial legacy.

• Fast growing with extremes between poverty & wealth.

• Religion: Countless; Christianity & Islam the largest

• Languages: Countless, English & French most common

Sub-Saharan Africa

• Southwest Asia & North Africa

• Saudi Arabia, Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Turkey

• Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco

• Religion: Islam; small amounts of Christianity & Judaism

• Languages: Arabic, Persian, Hebrew

"The Middle East" as a region is difficult to define and goes by many names. Mesopotamia, the Levant, the Near East, and/or Islamic World are other common terms.

Middle East & North Africa

• India, Pakistan, Bangladesh

• Densely populated & diverse

• Religion: Hinduism, Islam, Sihkism

• Languages: Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Bengali, etc.

South Asia is one of the most densely populated parts of the world, and vastly different from other regions due to thick jungles and the Himalaya Mountains bordering the region to the north.

South Asia

• China, Korea, Japan

• Densely populated.

• Religion: Buddhism

• Languages: Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), Korean, Japanese

East Asia has some of the largest cities in the world, in addition to large expanses of wilderness.

East Asia

• Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines

• Cultural mix of South and East Asian languages, religions, traditions.

• Religion: Buddhism & Islam

• Languages: Malay, Bahasa Indonesian, Vietnamese, Javanese

Most of Southeast Asia is covered in dense jungle and high mountains. Additionally, most countries here either have large amounts of coastline or are islands.

Southeast Asia

• Australia & Pacific Islands

• Large amount of native cultures, in addition to Anglo-European settlers population

• Religion: Christianity, Buddhism

• Languages: English, Malay, Māori

The Pacific islands are spaced out with thousands of miles of open ocean between them, and all have distinct cultures.

Oceania

​Physical objects and artifacts created by a specific culture.

Examples: clothing, food, art, and architecture

​​Material Culture

Non-physical things that define a culture.

Examples: language, religion, customs, etc.

​​Non-material Culture

​Culture Traits

​The belief that one's own culture or ethnic group is superior to others.

​​Ethnocentrism

​The belief that all cultural practices and beliefs should be understood and evaluated within the context of that particular culture

​​Cultural Relativism