Cultural Landscapes

AP Human Geography

How can Local and Popular Cultures be seen in the Cultural

Landscape?

Key Question:

Cultural Landscapes Activity

• I will show you a picture representing the cultural landscape of a specific location in the US. Use your knowledge of the US and its culture to guess the location.

The Midwest Maine Las Vegas The South

Florida The West California Texas New York City

The Midwest Maine Las Vegas The South

Florida The West California Texas New York City

The Midwest Maine Las Vegas The South

Florida The West California Texas New York City

The Midwest Maine Las Vegas The South

Florida The West California Texas New York City

The Midwest Maine Las Vegas The South

Florida The West California Texas New York City

The Midwest Maine Las Vegas The South

Florida The West California Texas New York City

The Midwest Maine Las Vegas The South

Florida The West California Texas New York City

The Midwest Maine Las Vegas The South

Florida The West California Texas New York City

The Midwest Maine Las Vegas The South

Florida The West California Texas New York City

The Midwest Maine Las Vegas The South

Florida The West California Texas New York City

Placelessness: the loss of uniqueness in a cultural landscape – one place looks like the

next.

Culture

• Shared patterns of learned behavior, attitudes and knowledge.

Cultural Landscape

The visible human imprint on the landscape including buildings, roads, signs, and nearly

everything else humans have created.

Each region has a uniquely built environment that is constructed by social processes and

their impacts on the surrounding natural features.

• The widespread distribution

of businesses and products

creates distinctive landscape

stamps around the world.

Convergence of Cultural Landscapes:

• Borrowing of idealized

landscape images blurs

place distinctiveness.

Convergence of Cultural Landscapes:

• Every cultural landscape is an accumulation of human artifacts.

• It contains valuable evidence about the origin, spread and development of cultures.

• Cultures use, alter and manipulate landscapes to reflect their identity.

• Material Culture-

– clothing

– buildings

– farming patterns

– technology

• Nonmaterial Culture-

– Language

– Religion

– Political organization

– Customs or traditions

How are these cultural landscapes similar? How are they different?

REGIONSREGIONS– Formal RegionsFormal Regions

• Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries (States, Countries, Cities)(States, Countries, Cities)

• Regions defined by similar characteristics (Midwest region, Corn Regions defined by similar characteristics (Midwest region, Corn Belt, Rocky Mountain region, Chinatown).Belt, Rocky Mountain region, Chinatown).

– Functional RegionsFunctional Regions• Regions defined by a function (newspaper service area, cell phone Regions defined by a function (newspaper service area, cell phone

coverage area).coverage area).

– Vernacular/Perceptual Regions Vernacular/Perceptual Regions • Regions defined by peoples perception (middle east, the south, etc.)Regions defined by peoples perception (middle east, the south, etc.)