World Languages

and Religions

Geography of Languages

• Language is important to culture because it is the main means of communication

• Languages have spatial characteristics. Spoken in specific regions of the world

• Languages can make a place distinctive (Brazil-Portuguese, Rest of South America-Spanish)

• 3,000 to 6,500 languages spoken today, language with the most speakers is Mandarin Chinese.

• Speakers of any one language might use a particular dialect- a regional variety of languages

• Example: British English and American English are both dialects of the same language.

• Dialects contain distinctive words and pronunciation

Ay yous guys!!!

Hey Y’all!!!

• Geographers study where a language comes from and how it has spread.

• English has become the most widespread language in the world. English comes from Anglo-Saxon.

• English spread rapidly when the British began to colonize the new world.

• English is the main language of globalization and the Internet

• English has become a lingua franca- a language of trade and communication.

Geography of Religion

• Religion is a key culture trait that binds many societies together

• Religion can affect buildings, behavior, land, and create conflicts

• There are three main types of religions– Ethnic – Animist– Universalizing

Ethnic Religions

• One ethnic group, has not spread

• Do not seek to convert people to their beliefs

• Practice religion as part of ethnic heritage

• Examples: – Hinduism (largest ethnic religion)

in India– Confucianism and Taoism in China– Judaism in Israel

Animist Religions

• Believe in the presence of the spirits and forces of nature

• Polytheism, belief in many gods, is a big part of animist religions

• Common in many traditional societies and likely practiced before modern types of religions became common• Examples- Ancient Greek gods

and goddesses; Native Americans worshiping the sun.

Universalizing Religions• Seek followers around the world • More than ½ of the world believe in one of these

religions• Christianity and Islam– Each based on monotheism (belief in one god)– Have missionaries- people who spread the religion

• Religion can have an affect on daily life – Islamic countries- people

stop lives to pray several times a day, face toward Mecca the center of Islam

• Religion has declined in some places of the world– Europe is seeing a decline in

the number of people actively participating in religious activities

United States Physical Map

• Label the following: –Appalachian Mountains Gulf Of California–Rocky Mountains Gulf of Mexico–Mt. McKinley Great Basin–Great Lakes- Each one! Great Plains–Mississippi River Coastal Plain–Colorado River Rio Grande

After Test: Label the Map!!