1. Introduction to Culture

2. Culture – is the way of life of a group of people who share
I. What Is Culture? A.
Culture – is the way of life of a
group of people who share
similar beliefs and customs. B.
Eight traits of culture – when
studying culture, geographers
look at the following eight
traits of culture: 1 2 3

3. 1. social groups
Geographers study rich, poor,
and classes (middle class)
b. age and gender
c. ethnic groups or people who
share a common culture,
language, or history.

4. 2. language
dialect – a local form of a
language that differs from the
main language.
b. language is used to share
information which makes it one
of the strongest unifying forces
for a culture.

5. helps people answer basic questions about life’s meaning
3. religion
helps people answer basic
questions about life’s meaning
4. daily life
a. food and dress
5. history
a culture group has a shared
history which helps them shape
how they view the world
ancient C1

6. paintings, sculptures, architecture, dance, music, theater, and
6. arts
paintings, sculptures, architecture,
dance, music, theater, and
literature.
7. government
the types of government can
reflect a country’s culture 2

7. b. monarchy
- kings & queens inherit rulership
c. dictators
control & rule as they wish or
see fit
d. Democracy (U.S.)
the power of the government is
held by elected officials (we have
voted for)

8. 8. the economy
When studying how the people
of a culture earn a living.
Geographers study the culture’s
economic system -
or the sets
of rules for how people decide
what goods & services to
produce and how they are
exchanged.
There are 3 main
types of economies:

9. b. Traditional economy
things are done “the way they
have always been done”
economic decisions are handed
down from generation to
generation.

10. c. Market economy
individuals make decisions about
what to produce, in other words
people who own businesses make
what they think customers want
d. Command economy
the government owns businesses
& controls decisions about what
goods & services will be produced

11. II. Cultural Change
A. Cultural diffusion
the process of spreading new
knowledge and skills to
other cultures
this occurs as a result of trade
the movement of people, war,
the Internet, and so on.

12. B. Culture Over Time
1. Civilizations
or highly developed cultures,
which developed as people
learned to grow food they
tended to stay in one place
and build settlements allowing
their culture to advance.

13. 2. Information Revolution
occurred as result of
computers and the Internet
allowing people to store &
share large amounts of
information thus connecting
the cultures of the world more
closely than ever before.

14. geographers divide the world into groups with common characteristics.
C. Culture Regions
1. Culture regions
geographers divide the
world into groups with
common characteristics. 1 2