The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography - Chapter 6: Religions

The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography - Chapter 6: Religions

Table of Contents

• Religions: Key Issues
• Key Issue 1: Where Are Religions Distributed?
  • Religions & Geography
  • Distribution of Christians
  • Distribution of Buddhists & Muslims
  • Distribution of Ethnic Religions
  • Distribution of Other Religions
• Key Issue 2: Why Do Religions Have Distinctive Distributions?
  • Origin of Christianity & Islam in Southwest Asia
  • Origin of Buddhism & Hinduism in South Asia
  • Historical Diffusion of Religions
  • Recent Migration Patterns of Religious Groups
  • Recent Migration of Christians
• Key Issue 3: Why Do Religions Organize Space in Specific Patterns?
  • Places of Worship
  • Administration of Religious Space
  • Religious Landscapes
  • Pilgrimages to Religious Shrines
  • The Environment & Religious Calendars
• Key Issue 4: Why Do Territorial Conflicts Arise Among Religious Groups?
  • Religions & Social Change
  • Challenges for Religions in Southwest Asia
  • Geographic Perspectives in Southwest Asia
  • Jerusalem’s Challenging Geography

Religions: Key Issues

• 6.1 Where Are Religions Distributed?
• 6.2 Why Do Religions Have Distinctive Distributions?
• 6.3 Why Do Religions Organize Space in Specific Patterns?
• 6.4 Why Do Territorial Conflicts Arise Among Religious Groups?

Key Issue 1: Where Are Religions Distributed?

6.1.1 Religions & Geography

• The world’s four largest religions are:
  • Christianity
  • Islam
  • Hinduism
  • Buddhism
• 11% of the world population identifies as nonreligious.
• Approximately 75% of the world’s population adheres to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism.

6.1.2 Distribution of Christians

• Congregation: A local assembly for common religious worship.
• Denomination: Unites multiple local congregations under a single legal and administrative body.
• Branch: A large and fundamental division within a religion.
• Christianity consists of three major branches:
  • Roman Catholicism
  • Protestantism
  • Orthodox
  • Geographic distribution in Europe includes:
  • Catholics predominantly in the south
  • Protestants clustered in northern Europe
  • Orthodox Christians mainly in Eastern Europe
• A sharp religious boundary exists through the island of Eire (Ireland).
• In the United States, multiple denominations exist within Christianity, with the following distributions (percentages of all Americans):
  • Christian: 66%
  • Roman Catholic: 21%
  • Evangelical Protestant: 17%
  • Mainline Protestant: 12%
  • Historically Black Churches: 8%
  • Other Protestant: 5%
  • Latter-day Saints: 2%
  • Orthodox: 1%
  • Jewish: 1%
  • Buddhist: 1%
  • Muslim: 1%
  • Hindu: 1%
  • Other religions: 2%
  • Nonreligious: 28%
• Historically Black congregations formed prior to 1800 predominantly by free Black Americans.

6.1.3 Distribution of Buddhists & Muslims

• Buddhism is predominantly found in East Asia and Southeast Asia with major branches including:
  • Theravada: Main religion in mainland Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka
  • Mahayana: Prevalent in China, Japan, and Korea
  • Vajrayana: Found in Mongolia and Tibet
• Islam: Broadly spans from the Atlantic coast of West Africa to Southeast Asia, primarily dominating Southwest Asia. Notably populous Muslim nations outside this region include:
  • Indonesia
  • Pakistan
  • Bangladesh
  • India (where Muslims are a minority)
• A cartogram illustrating Muslim populations shows significant concentrations in South Asia and Indonesia.
• Branches of Islam:
  • Sunni Islam represents 85% of the global Muslim population, prevalent in most Muslim-majority countries in Africa, Southwest Asia, and South Asia.
  • Shiite Islam, a minority and dominant in Iran and several other smaller nations in Southwest Asia.

6.1.4 Distribution of Ethnic Religions

• Ethnic religions usually exhibit more clustered distributions than universalizing religions, appealing typically to a shared cultural or ethnic group.
• Hinduism is the largest ethnic religion, primarily located in India and Nepal.
• Chinese Traditional Religions are syncretic, combining traditions such as Confucianism and Taoism.
• Approximately 35 million people in Africa practice various ethnic religions (animism), characterized by the belief that natural elements possess spirits and conscious life.

6.1.5 Distribution of Other Religions

• Smaller religions tend to cluster within specific nations, including:
  • Sikhism: Punjab region of India
  • Spiritism: Brazil
  • Judaism: Israel and the United States
  • Baha’i: India and various Asian countries
  • Tenrikyo: Japan
  • Jainism: South Asia
  • Shintoism: Japan
  • Cao Dai: Vietnam
  • Zoroastrianism: India and Iran
• Most of these religions are predominantly localized within their respective countries.
• Judaism is noted as the first religion promoting monotheism, contrasting sharply with surrounding polytheistic beliefs.
• Baha’i, established as a universalizing faith in Iran in 1844.
• Jainism originated in South Asia approximately 2,500 years ago.

Key Issue 2: Why Do Religions Have Distinctive Distributions?

6.2.1 Origin of Christianity & Islam in Southwest Asia

• The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is historically significant as the site of Jesus’s resurrection, pivotal in Christianity’s origin.
• Both Christianity and Islam are universalizing religions with notable divisions:
  • Christianity: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox
  • Islam: Sunni, Shiite
• The primary disagreement in Islam between Sunni and Shiite branches revolves around leadership succession post-Prophet Muhammad's death.
• Key tenets of Islamic belief—Five Pillars of Islam—are:
  • Shahadah: Declaration of faith in one God
  • Salat: Performing prayers five times daily facing Makkah
  • Zakat: Charitable giving
  • Sawm of Ramadan: Observing fasting during daylight in Ramadan
  • Hajj: Pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in a lifetime
• The Mosque of the Prophet in Madinah marks the burial site of Muhammad, underlining Islam’s historical roots.

6.2.2 Origin of Buddhism & Hinduism in South Asia

• Buddhism originated at the contemporary border of India and Nepal with the three predominant branches being:
  • Theravada
  • Mahayana
  • Vajrayana
• The origins of Hinduism remain uncertain, tracing back to South Asia between 2500 B.C.E. and 1500 B.C.E.
• The Mahabodhi Temple signifies the location of Buddha’s enlightenment.
• The Dashavatara Temple in Deogarh, India, is one of the oldest surviving Hindu temples, dating back to approximately 500 C.E.

6.2.3 Historical Diffusion of Religions

• Buddhism diffused via trading routes from northeastern India, introduced to China by missionaries.
• Islam spread rapidly from Saudi Arabia, leading to vast Muslim control over Southwest Asia and North Africa in about 200 years.
• Christianity initially spread from its origin in Judea through relocation diffusion by missionaries, expanded during Roman times via hierarchical diffusion, and since 1500 C.E. through contagious diffusion.
• Universalizing religions have experienced worldwide diffusion, whereas Hinduism experienced more localized spread.

6.2.4 Recent Migration Patterns of Religious Groups

• The religious makeup of international migrants does not consistently reflect the proportion of adherents across various religions.
• Israel currently attracts 73% of international Jewish migrants.
• Southwest Asia and North Africa host 20% of the world’s Muslims but draw 34% of Islamic migrants.
• Europe has emerged as a significant destination for Muslim migrants, with Morocco being a notable source of migration into France and Spain.

6.2.5 Recent Migration of Christians

• Distribution patterns of Christians are shifting due to modern migration, with North America being a prominent destination.
• A significant proportion of immigrants to the United States identify as Christian.
• Current Canadian demographics concerning the dominant Christian branches have demonstrated notable distributions.
• The destinations for international Christian migrants do not parallel the overall distribution of Christians worldwide, marking unique migration patterns.
• Largest migration flows of Christians have been identified as moving into and out of Russia and into the United States.

Key Issue 3: Why Do Religions Organize Space in Specific Patterns?

6.3.1 Places of Worship

• Regardless of prevalent religion in an area, the tallest structures are typically religious buildings, considered physical “anchors” for adherents.
• Examples include:
  • Camlica Mosque in Turkey
  • Golden Temple in India
  • Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar

6.3.2 Administration of Religious Space

• Some universalizing religions, like Islam and various Protestant denominations, are characterized by their high level of autonomy.
• Hinduism operates with significant autonomy as worship tends to occur either individually or in household settings.
• Hierarchical religions such as Mormonism and the Roman Catholic Church maintain well-defined administrative structures across various geographic levels.
• The Roman Catholic Church classifies regions into provinces and dioceses, with clergy overseeing each level, profound in parts of Europe where Roman Catholicism predominates.

6.3.3 Religious Landscapes

• A utopian settlement embodies the ideals of specific religious or social entities.
• A toponym designates the generic name of any place or geographic area, reflecting religious influences across locations, such as:
  • Salt Lake Temple in Utah, central to the city.
  • Roofless Church in New Harmony, Indiana.
  • Naming of places after saints as an indication of Roman Catholic influence.
• Religiously inspired arrangements can extend to smaller scales, notably evident in burial practices.

6.3.4 Pilgrimages to Religious Shrines

• Both Buddhism and Islam emphasize the significance of pilgrimages to sacred sites.
• A pilgrimage refers to a religious journey to a site deemed sacred.
• Hajj: Pilgrimage to Makkah, an obligatory act for Muslims.
  • Pilgrims traditionally surround al-Ka’bah during the hajj.
• Historical walks of Buddha and his followers took place in the fertile regions of northern India, amidst river valleys and farming villages.
• Hindus frequently undertake significant pilgrimages to Mt. Kailash, revered as the dwelling place of Shiva, a principal deity.

6.3.5 The Environment & Religious Calendars

• Cosmogony: Constellation of beliefs regarding the universe's origins.
• Different religions operate under various annual calendars, categorized as:
  • Solar Calendar: Used by Christians, comprised of 12 months.
  • Lunar Calendar: Employed by Islam, containing roughly 354 days.
  • Lunisolar Calendar: Observed in Judaism.
• Universalizing religions often commemorate key dates related to the life of their founders.
• In contrast, ethnic religions frequently align their calendars with seasonal changes, such as notable solstices.
• Jews partake in blessings of the etrog (citron) and lulav (date palm branches) during Sukkot at synagogues.

Key Issue 4: Why Do Territorial Conflicts Arise Among Religious Groups?

6.4.1 Religions & Social Change

• The Hindu caste system often conflicts with social equality principles.
• The resurgence of religious fundamentalism, denoting a strict adherence to religious tenets, contributes to intensified religious conflicts.
• Conflicts persist between Tibetan Buddhism and communism in China, underscoring the challenges faced by religious groups.

6.4.2 Challenges for Religions in Southwest Asia

• Jews, Christians, and Muslims have cohabited in the eastern Mediterranean for two millennia, all venerating Jerusalem as a holy city.
• The modern state of Israel was established in 1948 and has increased its territory through wars.
• Current Palestinian perspectives are split between seeking compromise versus outright non-recognition of Israel.
• Israel’s territorial expansions since 1947 remain contentious, especially concerning regions designated for Palestinians.

6.4.3 Geographic Perspectives in Southwest Asia

• The domain of contemporary Israel carries a historic legacy of conflicting Jewish, Christian, and Muslim claims to the land.
• The area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River comprises
  • Coastal plain along the Mediterranean Sea
  • Series of hills
  • Jordan River valley, portions of which lie below sea level
• Israeli government initiatives for constructing security barriers separating Israel from the West Bank have gained traction.
• Such barriers enable Jewish settlers to expand territory under their control but hinder Palestinian access to farmlands and workplaces.

6.4.4 Jerusalem’s Challenging Geography

• The Old City of Jerusalem is divided into quarters due to overlapping religious claims.
• The Dome of the Rock is a holy site for Muslims adjacent to the Western Wall, sacred to Jews.
• Key structures such as the Western Wall of the Temple and the elevated plaza, known as the Temple Mount, endure despite historical turmoil.
• The intricate positioning of Muslim and Jewish holy structures complicates potential territorial delineations.
• The Via Dolorosa, the path believed to have been taken by Jesus to his crucifixion, underscores the historical and spiritual complexities within Jerusalem.