Cultural Geography

Back to the old slide shows:

Cultural Characteristics:
are parts of a group's 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.

Examples: of cultural characteristics would be language, religion, and ethnic heritage. 
Examples of cultural characteristics

-Language
 Ex(s):  -Arabic unites the Arab world
             -Spanish united the Hispanic world

Brazil (!!!!!!!!!!) is the only South American nation which does not speak Spanish. It speaks Portuguese.

Canada is a bilingual nation. French and English are their official languages.

Examples 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.

Examples of cultural characteristics:
-Ethnic Heritage
 -In Yugoslavia, any ethnic groups were made into one country (Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Albanians).

When strong leadership died out, the different groups fought a very bloody civil war and now they all have separate countries.

Examples of cultural characteristics:
-In the countries of Rwanda and Burundi in Africa, Two ethnic groups are dominant, the Tutsis and the Hutus

-The Hutus are dominant in one and they persecute the Tutsis, and the Tutsis are dominant in the other and they persecute the Hutus. It has led to almost constant war between the groups

Examples of cultural characteristics:
-The US and Switzerland have peacefully merged multiple ethnic groups in their countries
-Korea, China and Japan have primarily one ethnic group