AP Human Geography 6.1

Key Issue 1: Where Are the World's Religions Distributed?

INTRODUCING RELIGIONS

LEARNING OUTCOME 6.1.1 - IDENTIFY THE WORLD'S MAJOR RELIGIONS

Definition of Religion: Requires strong adherence from followers.
Difficulty in Estimating Adherents:
- Many countries do not conduct official censuses, making the data controversial.
- Some people may feel unaccounted for or reluctant to disclose their beliefs.

World Religions Categorized:

Four Largest Religions (77% of the world's population):
- Christianity: 2.2 billion adherents.
- Islam: 1.6 billion adherents.
- Hinduism: 1 billion adherents.
- Buddhism: 500 million adherents.
Folk Religions (6% of the world's population):
- Includes Chinese traditional, Primal-indigenous religions.
Other Religions (1% of the world's population):
- Largest groups (14 to 23 million adherents each):
  - Sikhism
  - Judaism
  - Bahá'í
  - Jainism
- Six other groups (1 to 10 million adherents) include:
  - Zoroastrianism
  - Shinto
Unaffiliated (16% of the world's population):
- Individuals who do not claim belief in God or higher power. Many may believe in a higher power but do not affiliate with a religious organization.
Definitions in Geographic Terms:
- Atheism: The belief that God does not exist.
- Agnosticism: The belief that the existence of God cannot be proven empirically.
- Universalizing Religions: Religions that attempt to be global and appeal to all people.
- Ethnic Religions: Religions that appeal to a specific group in a specific place.
- Main Universalizing Religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
- Ethnic Religion Example: Hinduism.

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF RELIGIONS

LEARNING OUTCOME 6.1.2 - DESCRIBE THE DISTRIBUTION OF MAJOR RELIGIONS

Christianity:
- Most practiced religion in every country of the Western Hemisphere and in most countries of Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.
Islam:
- Most widely practiced in nearly every country of Southwest Asia and North Africa.
Buddhism and Hinduism:
- Widely practiced in regions of Asia.
Judaism:
- Concentrated in specific geographic areas. More than 10% of people in Central Asia, Southwest Asia, and North Africa identify as Muslim.

Breakdown of Religious Affiliation by Region:

East Asia:
- More than half are unaffiliated.
- The other half is divided approximately equally between folk religions and other religions.
South Asia:
- Around two-thirds of people adhere to Hinduism (mostly in India at 80%).
- In Bangladesh and Pakistan, 90% are Muslim with about one-third being Hindu.
Southeast Asia:
- 40% identify as Muslim, 24% as Buddhists, and 21% as Christians.
- Indonesia (most populous country) = 87% Muslim.
- Cambodia and Thailand = 90% Buddhist.
- Philippines = 90% Christian.
Sub-Saharan Africa:
- Around two-thirds are Christian, while one-third are Muslim.

DISTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIANS

LEARNING OUTCOME 6.1.3 - DESCRIBE REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIAN BRANCHES

Definitions:
- Branch: A large fundamental division within a religion.
- Denomination: A subgroup within a branch that includes various congregations under one administrative body.
- Congregation: A local assembly of persons gathered for religious worship.
Three Major Branches of Christianity:
- Roman Catholic: 50%
- Protestant: 32%
- Eastern Orthodox: 17%
Regions of Dominance in Europe:
- Roman Catholicism: Dominant in Southwest and Southeast Europe.
- Protestantism: Predominantly found in Northwest Europe.
- Eastern Orthodox: Predominantly in Southeast Europe.
Western Hemisphere Distribution:
- Roman Catholicism:
  - Latin America: 81% of Christians are Roman Catholic.
  - North America: 32% of Christians are Roman Catholic.
- Protestantism:
  - Latin America: 18% of Christians are Protestant.
  - North America: 63% of Christians are Protestant.
Prominent Protestant Denominations:
- Most numerous Evangelical Protestant Church: Southern Baptist.
- Most numerous Mainline Protestant Church: Methodist.
- Cluster Distribution in the U.S.:
  - Roman Catholics are predominantly clustered in the Northeastern and Western states.
  - Evangelical Protestants are predominantly clustered in the Southeast.
  - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) is predominantly found in surrounding states of Utah.

DISTRIBUTION OF MUSLIMS AND BUDDHISTS

LEARNING OUTCOME 6.1.4 - DESCRIBE THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE MAJOR BRANCHES OF ISLAM AND BUDDHISM

Meaning of Islam in Arabic:
- Submission to the will of God.
Countries Across Outside of Southwest Asia with Large Muslim Populations:
- Four countries account for about 40% of the world’s Muslims:
  - Indonesia
  - Pakistan
  - Bangladesh
  - India
- Branches of Islam: The larger branch is Sunni, with the Shiite branch being prominent in certain regions.
Geographical Clustering of Shiite Muslims:
- Predominantly found in:
  - Azerbaijan
  - Bahrain
  - Iran
Reasons for Concentration of Muslims in European Nations:
- Many European countries have a legacy of immigration from Muslim-majority countries, affecting population distribution.
Global Distribution of Buddhism:
- Predominantly clustered in East Asia.
- The three main branches are:
  - Mahayana: 56% (found mainly in China and Japan)
  - Theravada: 38% (found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand)
  - Vajrayana: 6% (found mainly in Tibet, also referred to as Lamaism).
Challenges in Determining Number of Buddhists:
- Many individuals participate in Buddhist institutions without formally identifying as Buddhists.
- Syncretism is common; belief in multiple religions affects accurate tracking of adherents.

DISTRIBUTION OF ETHNIC RELIGIONS

LEARNING OUTCOME 6.1.5 - DESCRIBE THE DISTRIBUTION OF HINDUISM AND OTHER ETHNIC RELIGIONS

Clustering of Ethnic Religions vs. Universalizing Religions:
- Ethnic religions tend to have more clustered distributions since they are often rooted in cultural practices and traditions specific to the culture of origin.
Largest Ethnic Religion:
- Hinduism: Predominantly found in India.
Largest Group within Hinduism:
- Vaishnavism: Worships and reveres Vishnu, the preserver god. The next largest group worships Shiva, the destructive god.
Religious Practices in China:
- Individuals often follow a combination of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism along with other traditional Chinese practices.
Philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism:
- Confucianism: Emphasizes the importance of public service.
- Taoism: Emphasizes mystical and magical aspects of life.
Belief in Primal-Indigenous Religions:
- Fundamental belief: God lives within all beings.
- Examples of primal-indigenous religions include Shamanism and Animism, which see both objects and natural events as having spiritual significance.

DISTRIBUTION OF OTHER RELIGIONS

LEARNING OUTCOME 6.1.6 - DESCRIBE THE DISTRIBUTION OF RELIGIONS OTHER THAN THE MOST NUMEROUS ONES

Sikhism:
- Primarily clustered in the Punjab region of India.
- Founder: Guru Nanak; their holy book is the Guru Granth Sahib.
Juche:
- Found in North Korea; viewed as a government ideology or philosophy rather than strictly a religion. Founded by Kim Il-Sung.
Spiritism:
- Predominantly found in Brazil. It is the belief that individuals can communicate with the personalities of the deceased.
Judaism:
- Approximately 6 million Jews live in the U.S. and another 2 million in Israel.
- Judaism is recognized as the first recorded religion to promote monotheism.
- Definitions:
  - Monotheism: Belief in one God.
  - Polytheism: Belief in multiple gods.
Bahá'í:
- A universalizing religion found in Asia, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere that aims to overcome the disunity of religions and promote unity among all people by abolishing race and class prejudices.
Tenrikyo:
- Most adherents originally from Southern Japan.
Jainism:
- Primarily found in India; core beliefs highlight nonviolence and self-control as essential to achieving liberation.
Shinto:
- Primarily found in Japan.
- Cao Dai: Clustered in Vietnam.
- Zoroastrianism: Main populations found in India and Iran.