Cultures of the World

What Is Culture? Sports Foods Clothing Entertainment List items under each category. These are things that are important to American life. Different parts of our way of life are part of American culture.

Culture is the way of life of a group of people that share common beliefs and customs. The language you speak is part of culture. The way you dress is part of culture. Subjects that you study in school are part of culture. How you spent time after school is part of culture.

Culture includes the work people do, their behaviors, their beliefs, and their ways of doing things. Parents pass these things on to their children, generation after generation.

Cultural Traits A particular group’s individual skills, customs, and ways of doing things are called cultural traits. Cultural traits may change over time, but cultures change very slowly. Some elements of culture are very easy to see. These are material things, such as houses, clothing, foods, sports, entertainment, and literature.

Things you cannot see or touch are also part of culture. These would include spiritual beliefs, government, and ideas about right and wrong. Language is an important part of culture.

Beliefs are what people have learned about right and wrong. Values are what is most important in a person’s life. List 3 beliefs or values that you have learned from your family, religion or other groups, such as Scouts.

Geographers study how culture is related to the environment Geographers study how culture is related to the environment. Landforms, climate, vegetation, and resources affect culture. Japan is a country of many islands. These islands are mountainous and have very little farmland. Therefore, the Japanese get their food from the sea.

Geographers are interested in the effect people have on the environment. The effect is tied to a culture’s technology, or tools and the skills people need to use them. Examples of technology could be computers or stone tools.

Levels of technology show how advanced a culture is.

Think about your culture. What do people eat? What are the houses like? What kind of work do people do? Can you identify some beliefs and values of your culture? Describe your culture.