Download THE GEOGRAPHY OF RELIGION

Name: ___________________________________ Due Date: ______________________ Period: _____
THE GEOGRAPHY OF RELIGION
STEP 1: create a map of the spatial distribution of the world’s main religions
Using a blank world map, open your textbook to pages 184-185, and follow these instructions:
A. Christianity:
 Color the Roman Catholic cultural realm (aka the countries where Roman Catholicism is the
majority religion) in yellow
 Color the Protestant cultural realm in orange
 Color the Eastern Orthodox cultural realm in red
Create a legend on your map identifying which religious branches correspond to what colors.
Important note about Christianity and language: what language branch and language group
predominates in areas that are mainly (pages 145-147)
 Roman Catholic – branch: ________________________ group: ______________________

Protestant: branch: __________________________ group: __________________________

Eastern Orthodox: branch: ________________________ group: ______________________
Think about the cultural significance of this question: why might people speaking different languages,
from different language branches, have practiced Christianity so differently that they formed a different
branch of that religion? _________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
B. Islam:
 Color the Sunni Muslim cultural realm in green
 Color the Shiite Muslim cultural realm in blue
Add this information to the legend.
Important notes about Islam and language:
 What is the name of the largest country that is entirely within the Shiite cultural realm? __________
 What language family, language branch, and language predominate in that country?
family: __________________ branch:__________________ language: __________________
 What language family and language predominate in the countries to the west of that country?
family: __________________ branch: __________________
 Once again, why might people speaking different languages, from different language families, form
a different branch of Islam? ________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
C. Buddhism:
 Color the Buddhist cultural realm in brown, and add this information to your legend.
Buddhism has three major branches:
1. Mahayana (located mainly in central and eastern China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam)
2. Theravada (located mainly in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka)
3. Vajrayana (located mainly in western China [the area known as Tibet] and Mongolia).
Write the names of these branches on the appropriate countries on your map. (You need to know these names)
D. Hinduism:
 Color the Hindu cultural realm in purple, and add this to your legend.
E. Other religions: mention the following on your map:
 Israel is the only predominantly Jewish state
 Japan is the only predominantly Shinto state
 Sikhism is predominately found in the Punjab region of India
Test yourself on your knowledge of the spatial distribution of these religions.
STEP 2: create a map of the spatial distribution of religion in the United States and Europe: The United
States and Europe are predominantly Christian. You are responsible for knowing the spatial distribution
of the major branches and denominations of Christianity in the U.S. and Europe. Proceed as follows:
A. United States: On a map of the U.S., use page 187 of your textbook to complete the following. You do
not need to be as precise as the textbook’s map, but you should know the following:
The Northeast:
 What is the main branch of Christianity in the northeastern US?
branch: _______________________________
 While not originally settled by this religion, its dominance increased because of immigration in the
19th century. Identify a European country that was a source of this migration._________________
 From the map of Europe at page 185, what is the main religion of that European country?
____________________________________________
The Southwest:
 What is the main branch/denomination of Christianity in the southwestern US?
branch: _______________________________ denomination:_____________________________
 What European country was most responsible for settling that area in the 16th, 17th, and 18th
centuries? ________________________
 From the map on page 185, what is the main religion of that European country? _______________
 The southwestern U.S.’s predominant religion reflects recent immigration, from what country are
the immigrants coming, and what is the main religion of that country?
country: ____________________________ religion:_________________________________
Southern Louisiana and South Florida: These areas are predominantly Roman Catholic because of
relocation diffusion. From where did the immigrants come in the 17th and 18th centuries?
Southern Louisiana: _____________________ Southern Florida: _____________________________
 Color all Roman Catholic culture regions in yellow, and label them in a legend.
 Color the other culture regions as follows: Lutheran in orange, Baptist in red, and LDS in brown.
 Enter this data on the legend. (Do not worry about the other denominations identified on the map in your textbook.)
B. Europe: Use the map of Europe, and turn to page 185 of your textbook. Again, you do not need to be
as precise as the textbook’s map, but you should know the following:
 Color the Roman Catholic culture region in yellow, the Protestant culture region in orange, and the
Eastern Orthodox culture region in red. Identify the information in a legend.
RELIGION DISTRIBUTION STUDY GUIDE
Within the United States, which denomination of Christianity predominates in the following regions?
1. Minnesota ____________________________
2. Arizona ______________________________
3. Maine _______________________________
4. Southern Florida _______________________
5. North Dakota _________________________
6. Southern Louisiana ________________________
7. Georgia _________________________________
8. Utah ____________________________________
9. Tennessee _______________________________
10. Massachusetts ___________________________
Within Europe, which denomination of Christianity predominates in the following countries? Label these
countries on the Europe map.
1. Spain ________________________________
2. United Kingdom _______________________
3. Germany _____________________________
4. Ukraine ______________________________
5. France _______________________________
6. Poland _________________________________
7. Ireland _________________________________
8. Sweden ________________________________
9. Greece _________________________________
10. Iceland ________________________________
Can you identify the portions of the United States that were originally settled by immigrants from
(a) France _____________________ (b) Spain______________________
(c) Germany/Sweden/Norway___________________________ What pattern do you see?
More recent immigration to the United States has occurred from Cuba and Mexico. Because people prefer
to live with others of the same ethnicity, those immigrants settled in regions in which their religion was
already predominant; due to chain migration, the families and friends of these immigrants followed them
to the same region; and due to the gravity model and the concept of distance decay, those immigrants
migrated shorter rather than longer distances. Using these concepts, identify the U.S. regions to which
Mexican and Cuban immigrants migrate.
Mexico _________________________________ Cuba __________________________________
Which religion, religious branch, and religious denomination predominates in the following countries?
(Be as specific as you can: do not say “Islam” or “Christianity” if you can say “Sunni” or “Eastern
Orthodox.”) Can you close your eyes and see the world’s distribution of religions? If not, keep working at it.
1. Algeria _________________________________ 11. Russia ________________________________
2. El Salvador ______________________________ 12. India __________________________________
3. Canada _________________________________ 13. Eastern China___________________________
4. Vietnam ________________________________ 14. Australia _______________________________
5. Bolivia _________________________________ 15. Iran ___________________________________
6. Japan ___________________________________ 16. Turkey ________________________________
7. Western China ____________________________ 17. South Africa ___________________________
8. Belarus __________________________________18. Pakistan _______________________________
9. Saudi Arabia _____________________________ 19. Laos __________________________________
10. Myanmar _______________________________ 20. Argentina ______________________________