realization of reality.
I see wind shields, blowing snow, sub-zero temperatures.
It's been said that how one lives is partially determined by where one lives.
Location, climate, and the natural resources of an area are key influences in how people
live and will help us understand how to study a culture.
It is a culture.
Most anthropologists agree that a human culture is learned behavior acquired by individuals
as members of a social group.
There are several universal elements which need to be examined in order to understand
and define a culture.
They include geography and natural resources, social organizations, beliefs and values,
and economic activities.
Members of a culture share certain beliefs, morals, customs, traditional practices, and
a common language.
The sum of the elements that unite a group of people is collectively referred to as a
culture.
A culture is a total way of life.
This lesson will examine the ways in which the geography of a region helps to create
the culture of the people who live there.
Geography is defined as the scientific study of the earth's surface.
Our study will include these key elements that comprise geography, topography, climate,
and natural resources.
These elements influence how people adapt to their surroundings.
The first element in defining the geography of a region is its topography.
Topography is the physical features of the land, including variations in elevation, the
locations of bodies of water, and natural or human-made features in a specific region.
Natural topographical features are those elements of the landscape created as part of nature,
including shorelines, mountains, deserts, prairies, and rivers.
People have learned to deal with each of these land elements in different ways.
The topography of a region frequently forces people to adapt.
For example, cultures that exist in mountainous regions still need to produce food.
People adapt to the rolling landscape by terracing the hillside for farming.
Human-made topographical features include roads, dams, and bridges, elements constructed
by people forced to adapt to their environments.
A bridge or dam can dramatically change how a culture uses an available waterway.
For example, a bridge doesn't just provide easier access across a body of water.
It also impacts on the economics of a culture by facilitating trade.
By providing greater opportunities for interaction and communication among people, it may also
facilitate the formation of different types of social organizations.
The topography of a region can also be altered to meet people's economic needs and wants.
For example, the coastline of Lake Michigan is reinforced with rocks and earth near several
cities so roads could be created near the shoreline.
The roads provide access to businesses, boat harbors, resorts, and beaches.
In many drier inland regions devoted to agricultural production, irrigation is often used to deliver
water for crops.
In some parts of the world, people have altered the topography by draining wetlands to create
more room for housing or additional farmland.
It's important to note, however, that some topographical alterations damage the environment.
For example, draining a wetland can drive off wildlife that may have needed the marshland
as part of its seasonal migration.
The wildlife may also have been a source of food for people of that region.
The study of a region's climate is also important in understanding how to study a culture.
Climate is the average condition of the weather over a long period of time, with emphasis
on temperature and precipitation averages.
An area's climate affects many things in a culture, including the types of economic
activities performed, the type of clothing people wear, and the type of shelter people
need to protect themselves from climatic conditions such as heat, rain, wind, or snow.
In the cold, snowy climate of Sweden's northern Lapland region, the Sami people hunt reindeer.
They use the meat for food and use the hide of the animal to create warm clothing.
The animal hide is also used occasionally for shelter.
In Australia's Outback region, finding food and available fresh water are daily concerns
for native Aborigines.
Here, shelter and clothing are designed to protect them from the harsh sun and torrential
rains.
In contrast to Australia, the tiny kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country that presents
very different geographical obstacles to its people.
The topography is extremely mountainous, with the Greater Himalayan Mountain Chain dominating
more than a third of the nation.
Because of the extreme elevation changes, the climate varies greatly throughout the kingdom.
But the Bhutanese have adapted to the unique topography and climate of their region.
Their traditional dress includes warm ankle-length clothing, and they've learned to use the
available land and ample water supply to grow crops, such as wheat and rice.
Even the spiritual beliefs of Bhutanese culture have been influenced by certain geographical
elements.
Many religious structures, such as the revered Tiger's Nest Monastery, have been built on
mountaintops and cliff sides, in accordance with religious legends.
Climate and topography also play a role in determining the production of goods and services.
For example, the land may be well suited for development of forest products, for agricultural
use or hunting, or as a source of oil or minerals.
These elements are known as natural resources.
Natural resources are elements from the earth that can be developed and used by humans in
their economic production.
Minerals, trees, water, wind, and animals are all examples of natural resources.
Members of a culture utilize natural resources to meet the subsistent needs of the population.
Subsistent needs include a person's basic requirement of food, water, shelter, and clothing.
Subsistent needs are necessary for survival.
People engage in numerous economic activities, depending on the natural resources available
to them.
Natural deposits, such as coal, iron, or copper, can be mined and used by the culture or sold
and exported to other cultures.
Sometimes cultures import the natural resources they need for production that aren't available
in their region.
Sweden is a country rich in natural resources.
For example, 55% of Sweden is covered by forests.
These forests are used for lumber, furniture, pulp, and paper industries.
Raw lumber or manufactured goods are often exported to other cultures in exchange for
other goods or money.
Industries of water are part of a region's topography, but they are also natural resources.
Water can support industries such as electrical power or fishing, and can help facilitate
the transport of goods through shipping.
No single culture has all the natural resources it needs.
For that reason, many cultures trade natural resources for money or other necessary items.
Cultures also adapt to their environments by specializing in the production of goods
that use the natural resources available locally.
One example of a culture adapting to its geography is found in the way Bhutanese people build
their homes.
In addition to wood, the Bhutanese use mud to construct the foundation of the house.
Dried pounded mud acts like cement to hold the structure together.
House building in Bhutan is a communal effort.
Because of the topography, most communities in Bhutan are very small.
Family, friends, and neighbors form an extended family that's learned to work together as
a type of social organization.
While people may perceive natural resources as abundant, they're actually in limited
supply.
When resources such as forests are not over-harvested, they can replenish themselves over time.
New trees could be planted for future use.
These are known as renewable resources.
In some countries, such as the United States, logging companies are required by law to replant
trees to replace the ones they've harvested.
Other natural resources, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, are known as non-renewable
resources.
These can only be harvested once and are depleted upon use.
Once non-renewable resources are depleted, people are forced to find alternative ways
to meet their needs.
The supply of available resources often dictates how the population is spread out over the
land.
When the geography of a region will support it, people often cluster together in cities
or villages.
It's sometimes easier and more convenient to live in cities.
Employment and housing may be more available, and cities are frequently centers of social
activity.
Cities are often located near bodies of water or where trade routes have been established
with other cultures.
Water members of the population spread out in rural areas to farm the land.
In agricultural areas, people live further apart because it requires more land to support
agriculture and livestock.
Peasants also supply city dwellers with much of the food and other resources they require.
There are many different geographical factors to consider when learning how to study a culture.
To recap, geography is the scientific study of the earth's surface.
The geographic factors that influence culture include topography, climate, and natural resources.
People in a culture usually adapt to the geography of the area in which they live.
Where people live is largely determined by the topography and climate and the available
natural resources.
People meet their subsistence needs through economic activities, which are strongly influenced
by the region's geography.
Understanding how the geography of a region impacts the way people live and the influence
on the economy will help greatly in learning how to study the various cultures of the world.