Welcome to the World of WORLD CULTURES There are five fields of learning in social studies. We learn about the world and its people by studying: - geography - history - economics - government - culture A Mongolian yurt, complete with a satellite television dish.

The Peoples of the World Getting Along with Each Other (OR NOT?) Knowledge of other societies is the key to understanding them Knowledge of other cultures increases with: - advances in communication (the Internet) - advances in transportation (high-speed aircraft) - international trade - immigration

History History is a record of the past; the past shapes the present History and Geography The Five Themes of Geography Geography is the study of people, places, and the environment The study of geography focuses on five themes: - location - region - place - movement - human-environment interaction

How Countries Govern Every country has laws—rules that govern behavior Every country has ways to govern itself Government makes and enforces laws Government Limited and Unlimited Governments Limited—everyone obeys laws, including rulers Unlimited—rulers have absolute authority over everyone, everything Continued...

Citizenship Citizen—a legal member of a country with rights and duties Two ways to achieve citizenship: - born in country - naturalization Government continued

The Study of Resources Economics—the study of how people manage resources Scarcity—conflict between unlimited desires and limited resources Economics Resources Economists identify three types of resources: - natural: gifts of nature - human: production skills - capital: goods and services produced

Command and Market Economies Command—government decides prices and what and how much to produce Market—companies use consumers to determine prices and production Kinds of Economies Levels of Development Countries with high levels of economic development have: - education, health, employment, services, technology Countries with low levels of economic development have: - poor services, low employment, low literacy, low life expectancy

Ways of Living Culture—shared beliefs, customs, laws, art, ways of living Culture traits—those specific things people share Culture

Many Regions, Many Cultures The world can be divided into regions according to culture.

Different Places, Different Cultures Regions of Culture Culture region—geographic area in which people share common: - beliefs - history - language - religion - technology - work - food - clothing - shelter Many Regions, Many Cultures Continued...

The World’s Culture Regions The world has seven culture regions: - U.S. and Canada - Latin America - Europe and former U.S.S.R - North Africa and Southwest Asia - Africa south of the Sahara - South Asia - East Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands Different Places, Different Cultures Continued...

Culture Regions Change Culture regions change as they borrow traits from one another Interdependence — culture regions depend on one another economically Events in one culture region affect other culture regions Advances in technology, communication have increased interdependence Different Places, Different Cultures