CHAPTER 6
RELIGION
FOCUS ON THE FOLLOWING IN THIS
CHAPTER
1. Universal vs. Ethnic
2. Major Universal and Ethnic characteristics (where
are they, percentage of world population…)
3. Major branches of those religions
4. Where are the major religions and their major
branches and why are they there? (ex. Historical
migration patterns
5. How do different religions affect the environment
6. Examples of religious tension/fighting/war
GEOGRAPHERS & RELIGION…
• Geographers are concerned
with the process of how
religions diffuse and
possible conflicts
• Examine how religions have
a two way relationship with
the environment
• They want to understand
why some are widespread
and others are clustered in
specific places
ISSUE #1
Where are Religions Distributed?
TYPES OF RELIGIONS
UNIVERSALIZING
• Attempt to be global
• Appeal to all people,
regardless of location or
culture
• About 62% of the world’s
population
• Are divided into branches,
denominations, and sects
ETHNIC
• Appeal primarily to one
group in one place
• About 24% of world’s
population
UNIVERSALIZING RELIGIONS
BUDDHISM
CHRISTIANITY
ISLAM
ETHNIC RELIGIONS
HINDUISM
CONFUCIANISM
DAOISM (TAOISM)
SHINTOISM
JUDAISM
AFRICAN RELIGIONS
World Distribution of Religions
Fig. 6-1: World religions by continent.
KNOW THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
World Population by Religion
Fig. 6-1a: Over two thirds of the world’s population adhere to Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism, or Buddhism. Christianity is the single largest world
religion.
CHRISTIANITY
• 3 major branches are
Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Eastern
Orthodox
• About 90% of people in
the Western
Hemisphere are
Christian
ISLAM
• Islam means “submission
to the will of god”
– a follower of Islam is called
a Muslim (one who
surrenders to God)
• Predominates from North
Africa to Central Asia
– population is increasing in
North America and Europe
• 2 main branches are
Sunni and Shiite (Shia)
BUDDHISM
• Located primarily in China
and Southeast Asia
• 3 main branches are
Mahayana, Theravada,
Tantrayana
• Accurate count is difficult
because:
1. Few participate in Buddhist
institutions
2. Differs from Western concept
of a formal religion
3. Communism in China
ETHNIC RELIGIONS
• You are responsible for this section, pages
188-190.
ISSUE #2
Why do Religions Have Different Distributions?
(read and know the intro!!!)
ORIGINS
UNIVERSALIZING
• Specific places of origin
ETHNIC
• Unknown/unclear origins
• Based on the life of one
man
• not identified with one
specific individual
(ex. Christianity-Jesus, IslamMuhammad, BuddhismSiddhartha)
(ex. Hinduism-Indian culture
over several centuries)
- Judaism is an exception
DIFFUSION-UNIVERSALIZING
All 3 diffused from specific hearths located in Asia.
Buddhism-present day India and Nepal; Christianity-present
day Israel; Islam-present day Saudi Arabia
CHRISTIANITY
Diffused through a combination of all types of diffusion (relocation and
expansion)
ISLAM
Diffused very rapidly through North Africa, SW Europe and SW
Asia
BUDDHISM
DIFFUSION - ETHNIC
• Limited to no diffusion;
usually by relocation
diffusion
• Unlike universalizing, they
don’t have missionaries
• They are often either
replaced by URs or mix with
them
– Ex. Traditional African religious
mixing with Christianity
– 70% of Japanese say they are
Buddhist, 90% say they are
Shinto (huh?)
• Judaism the exception to
this trend – it’s practiced
in many countries, not
just location of its origins
TYPE 2
1. List 3 universalizing religions and 3 ethnic
religions
2. List 3 major differences between universalizing
and ethnic religions
3. List the primary locations of the 3 universalizing
religions (use regions, not countries – for ex.
Western Hemisphere, Eastern Europe….)
HOLY PLACES
UNIVERSALIZING
• Tend to be tied to places
related to the founder
(cities, villages…)
ETHNIC
• Tend to be tied to the
physical environment of the
hearth (mountains, rivers…)
Ex. Mecca for
Muhammad/Islam
Ex. Ganges River for Hindus
IMPORTANT SITES IN JERUSALEM
WESTERN WALL (wailing wall)
• Section of the western
wall that remains of the
Jewish Temple
destroyed in A.D. 70
• Extremely sacred place
for Jews
DOME OF THE ROCK
• Built to represent the
greatness of Islam
• Built on the site of the
rock on which Abraham
went to sacrifice his son
• Also the site of
Muhammad’s “night
journey”
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER
• Built over the site of
Jesus’ burial
• Extremely sacred to
Christians
Holy Sites for Buddhists
Fig. 6-9: Most holy sites in Buddhism are locations of important events in Buddha’s
life and are clustered in northeastern India and southern Nepal.
Buddhist
Temple
Bodh Gaya,
India
Mecca, Islam’s
Holiest City
Fig. 6-10: Makkah (Mecca) is the holiest
city in Islam and the site of
pilgrimage for millions of
Muslims each year. There are
numerous holy sites in the
city.
Makkah during the Haj Pilgrimage
The Ka’ba stands at the center of the Great Mosque (al-Haran al Sharif) in Makkah.
Ritual Bathing in the Ganges River
Hindu pilgrims achieve purification by bathing in the Ganges.
Baha’i Temple in Uganda
The Golden Temple in Amritsar
The Golden Temple (Darbar Sahib) in Amritsar, India is the holiest structure for Sikhism.
Baha’i Temple in Uganda
COSMOGONY
- Read this section on 199-200. Look at how
universalizing and ethnic differ in the
following:
- Creation of the world? How?
- Interaction with nature?
- Modification of nature?
HOLIDAYS
UNIVERSALIZING
ETHNIC
• Holidays based primarily on
significant events of the
founder’s life
• Holidays based primarily on
physical geography of the
homeland (seasons and
agriculture)
Ex. - birth of Jesus (Christians)
- Siddhartha’s birth
(Buddhists)
Ex. - Holi for Hindus
- Bontok of the Philippines
CALENDARS - ETHNIC
• Prominent feature of ERs is
the celebration of seasons –
particularly for agriculture
• Judaism – major holidays
based on agriculture in Israel
– Ex. Yom Kippur (Day of
Atonement – Fall)
• Use a lunar calendar
• Solstice has a significant
meaning for many ethnic
religions (shortest and longest
days of year)
CALENDARS - UNIVERSALIZING
• Prominent feature is celebrating
events of the founder’s life
• Islam uses a lunar calendar,
Christianity a solar
• Holidays arrive in different seasons
from generation to generation
when using a lunar calendar(ex.
Ramadan for Muslims)
• Not all members of URs celebrate
same holidays on same day ( ex.
Easter, Buddha’s birth)
ISSUE #3
Why do Religions Organize Space in Different
Patterns?
(AP test likes questions about the impact of religion
on space)
Places of Worship
• All major religions have these
structures/buildings
• The function of these locations
influences the arrangement of
them over the landscape
• Have different characteristics,
purposes, meanings….
• The distribution of these
religious elements on the
landscape reflects the
importance of religion for that
particular society
Christianity – Church (sanctified
for public worship)
Hinduism – Temple (more for
shrines, home is used more
for worship)
Islam – Mosque (public
assembly)
Buddhism, Shintoism – Pagodas (contain
relics)
Church – St. Paul’s in
London
Blue Mosque Turkey
Blue Mosque - Turkey
Hindu Temple India
Pagoda - China
SACRED SPACE
• How religions distribute
their elements across land
depends on their beliefs
• distributions range from
very small (cemetery) to
very large (entire
communities - ex. Salt Lake
City, Utah)
• Most significant land use is
for burial and religious
settlements
SACRED SPACE - BURIAL
• Climate, topography, and
doctrine combine to create
different burial practices
• Use of cemeteries
(Christianity, Judaism, Islam)
–
–
–
–
Health concerns
Bodies facing certain direction
Used as parks
Take up valuable land (ex.
China now encouraging
cremation)
• Not all bury dead (ex.
Cremation for Hindus)
SACRED SPACE – RELIGIOUS
SETTLEMENTS
• Most settlements serve
an economic purpose,
some serve a religious
one
– Utopian societies (Salt
Lake City)
– Religious impact on
colonial settlements
(clustered settlement
patterns of Puritans in
New England)
SACRED SPACE – RELIGIOUS PLACE
NAMES
• Roman Catholics often
give place names (also
called ?????) to
settlements,
particularly in the new
world
– Quebec
– U.S. Southwest
Place Names in Québec
Fig. 6-12: Place names in Québec show the impact of religion on the landscape.
Many cities and towns are named after saints.
BUILDINGS OF WORSHIP VIDEOS
Hindu Temple
Hindu Rat Temple
Muslim Mosque
Jewish Synagogue
Christian Church
ISSUE #4
Why do Territorial Conflicts Arise Among Religious Groups?
• Since WWII local conflicts
in areas of cultural
diversity have increased
(often religiously based)
• Inflexible religious views =
conflict
RELIGION v. GOVERNMENT POLICIES
• Role of religion in
organizing the earth’s
surface has been
diminished in some areas,
largely due to political
and economic change
Know examples of how for
each of the following:
– Islam particularly affected
– Hinduism and West
– Buddhism, Christianity,
Islam and Communism
VS.
RELIGION vs. GOVERNMENT POLICIES
Religion v. Communism
Vs.
RELIGION vs. RELIGION
Catholic v. Protestant
Sunni v. Shiite
Know these
examples
Christian v. Muslim
Hindu v. Muslim
RELIGIOUS WARS IN IRELAND
• Worst religious boundary in W. Europe
• Republic of Ireland – 92% Roman Catholic
• Northern Ireland (UK) – 58% Protestant and 42% Roman Catholic
• Island became part of the UK in 1801
• Declared independence in 1937, members of the North chose to stay part of the UK
(why?)
• RCs victimized by discrimination in the Northern Ireland – fighting between RCs and
Ps has led to more than 3,000 deaths since 1968
– IRA
- UDF
• Majority want peace, extremist elements make that difficult
UNITED KINGDOM
IRELAND cont.
Fig 6-14:
When Ireland became independent in
1937, 26 northern districts
with large Protestant
populations chose to remain
part of the United Kingdom.
Catholic Protestors in Northern Ireland
RELIGIOUS WARS – MIDDLE EAST
• Jews, Christians and Muslims have
been fighting over land for centuries
(historical name is Palestine)
• Jews - trace their origins here
(Promised Land) - kicked out by the
Romans in A.D. 70
• Christians – major events of Jesus’ life
centered here and Christianity
became the official religion of the
Roman Empire in the 4th century
• Muslims – Jerusalem is their third
holiest city, believe Muhammad
ascended to heaven from there
– Have controlled this area for most of the
past 1,500 years
CRUSADES
• Muslim empire expanded
quickly after Muhammad’s
death (632) across northern
Africa and into Europe
• Beginning in 1099 the
Christians in WE launched a
series of military campaigns
to regain the holy land
(lasted about 150 years,
gain, and then lose, control
of the holy land)
JEWS vs. MUSLIMS IN PALESTINE
• Ottoman Empire (Muslim) ruled
Palestine from 1500s – 1917 (what
happened in 1917?)
• UN voted to partition it into 2
countries, Jewish and Muslim in 1947
(what about Jerusalem?)
• 1948 – Jews declare their country,
Arab neighbors attack the next day
• Armistice in 1949 divided control of
Jerusalem
• 3 more wars fought between Israel
and its neighbors:
– 1956, 1967 (Six Days War), 1973
(read caption to maps on 211)
Camp David Accords - 1979
ISRAEL
TODAY
Boundary Changes in Palestine/Israel
Fig. 6-16: The UN partition plan for Palestine in 1947 contrasted with the
boundaries that were established after the 1948-49 War. Major
changes later resulted from the 1967 War.
CONFLICT – PALESTINIAN
PERSPECTIVES
• After 1973 the Palestinians emerged as Israel’s primary
opponent
– Know 5 groups considering themselves Palestinians
• Palestinians are very angry with Jewish settlements in the
West Bank, consider this area their historical homeland as
well
• Role of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization)
• Some Palestinians are willing to accept the existence of
while others (ex. Hamas) are not
CONFLICT – ISRAELI PERSPECTIVE
• Sees itself as a small, Jewish nation
surrounded by enemies
• Major geographic considerations:
1. Major population centers are close to int’l
borders (vulnerable)
2. Landforms (northern hills, West Bank, Golan
Heights)
Israel, the West Bank and Gaza
Political and Physical maps
Fig. 6-17: The West Bank and Gaza have been under Israeli control since 1967, and
numerous Israeli settlements have been established there. The area includes
three physical regions: the coastal plain, the hills, and the Jordan River Valley.
Section of Israeli Security Barrier
Fig. 6-1.1: A typical section of the security barrier built by Israel in the West Bank.
Israel’s Barrier in
the West Bank
Fig. 6-1.2: The planned route of Israel’s
security barrier in the West Bank
includes many of Israel’s
settlements in the territory.
Jerusalem
- in the end, it all
comes down to
Jerusalem, no
agreement on
Jerusalem =
continued tension
Fig. 6-15: The Old City of Jerusalem contains holy sites for Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam.
Chapter 6: Review
06.01 Which of the following is not a universalizing
religion?
1. Buddhism
2. Christianity
3. Judaism
4. Islam
06.01 Which of the following is not a universalizing
religion?
1. Buddhism
2. Christianity
3. Judaism
4. Islam
06.02 Roman Catholicism predominates in
1. Northern Europe
2. East Asia
3. Canada
4. South America
5. Australia
06.02 Roman Catholicism predominates in
1. Northern Europe
2. East Asia
3. Canada
4. South America
5. Australia
06.03 Which of the following is not one of the five
pillars of Islam?
1. Accept Allah as the one God
2. Donate to charities
3. Fast during the month of Ramadan
4. Make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
5. Pray five times daily
06.03 Which of the following is not one of the five
pillars of Islam?
1. Accept Allah as the one God
2. Donate to charities
3. Fast during the month of Ramadan
4. Make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
5. Pray five times daily
06.04 In which region are ethnic religions most
widely practiced?
1. Asia
2. South America
3. North America
4. North Africa
5. Europe
06.04 In which region are ethnic religions most
widely practiced?
1. Asia
2. South America
3. North America
4. North Africa
5. Europe
06.06 __________ consider solstices to be holy
times.
1. Buddhists
2. Jews
3. Confucians
4. Christians
5. Pagans
06.06 __________ consider solstices to be holy
times.
1. Buddhists
2. Jews
3. Confucians
4. Christians
5. Pagans
06.07 _________ typically favors cremation over
burial.
1. Islam
2. Judaism
3. Taoism
4. Christianity
5. Hinduism
06.07 _________ typically favors cremation over
burial.
1. Islam
2. Judaism
3. Taoism
4. Christianity
5. Hinduism
06.08 What is the second-highest rank within the
Roman Catholic hierarchy?
1. Pope
2. Archbishop
3. Bishop
4. Cardinal
5. Priest
06.08 What is the second-highest rank within the
Roman Catholic hierarchy?
1. Pope
2. Archbishop
3. Bishop
4. Cardinal
5. Priest
06.09 The caste system in India
1. Places Shudras at the top of the hierarchy
2. Was created by the Aryan invaders of India
3. Does not affect how individual Hindus practice
the religion
4. Is enforced by official government policies
5. Sees the “untouchables” as closest to
enlightenment
06.09 The caste system in India
1. Places Shudras at the top of the hierarchy
2. Was created by the Aryan invaders of India
3. Does not affect how individual Hindus practice
the religion
4. Is enforced by official government policies
5. Sees the “untouchables” as closest to
enlightenment
06.10 Which three religions have holy places in
Jerusalem?
1. Sikhism, Islam, Judaism
2. Islam, Christianity, Hinduism
3. Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism
4. Islam, Christianity, Judaism
5. Jainism, Christianity, Judaism
06.10 Which three religions have holy places in
Jerusalem?
1. Sikhism, Islam, Judaism
2. Islam, Christianity, Hinduism
3. Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism
4. Islam, Christianity, Judaism
5. Jainism, Christianity, Judaism