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Chapter 4: Human Systems
Section 1: Elements of Culture
Culture – the total knowledge, attitudes and behaviors shared
and passed on by members of a specific group
Characteristics of Culture
Ethnicity
Language
Religion
Government
Economics
Social groups
Cultural diffusion/interaction – the spreading of
including both culture traits and innovation
culture
How is culture spread?
(War, Trade, Migration)
Culture hearth – an early center of civilization from
which ideas have spread
Can you name five examples of culture hearths?
Characteristics of Culture
1.
Ethnicity – people sharing similar beliefs, customs,
cultural heritage
2.
Language – communication system shared by a group
3.
Religion – belief system that is centered around the
creation and purpose of the universe
Monotheistic – belief in one god
Polytheistic – belief in two or more gods
Animistic – belief in divine forces
4.
Government – system or philosophy by which a
society provides order and the welfare of its people
5.
Economics – system production and exchange of
goods in a society
6.
Social groups – how a society groups its people
Population – global population is increasing rapidly
- 6.5 billion
- Demography – the study of population
I. Characteristics of human population
A. Birthrate – births per year per 1,000
B. Death rate – deaths per year per 1,000
C. Life expectancy
D.Infant mortality – deaths of children (between 0-1) per
year per 1,000
E. Male/Female distribution and age distribution
1. population pyramids –graphic representation or
model of a population according to gender and/or
age
F. Urban (live in the city)/Rural (live in the country)
G.GDP (Gross Domestic Product) – total value of all
goods and services produced in a country in one year,
usually given per capita
H.Ethnicity
I. Language
J. Religion
K. Education
Population density – average number of people per square mile
within a region or country
II. Factors that influence population growth rates
A. Modern medicine and hygiene
B. Education
C. Industrialization
D.Urbanization
E. Economic development
F. Government policy
G.Role of women in the society
Population distribution – pattern of human settlement (human
settlement/population distribution is uneven on the Earth’s
surface)
III. Factors that influence population distribution
A. Natural resources
1. Minerals
2. Arable (fertile, farmable) land
3. Fresh water
4. Fossil fuels
5. Food crops
B. Climate
C. Economic development
1. Developed or developing
D.Government policy
1. Dictatorships
2. Oppressive policies
E. Urban/Rural settlement
F. Capital resources
1. Money for investment
2. Technology
3. Communication systems
4. Transportation systems
G.Conflict
1. Warfare
i. Civil
ii. Political
iii. Guerilla warfare
2. Oppressive government
3. Personal persecution
Migration – the movement of people from place to place
IV. Push factors – conditions that drive people to migrate to
new areas
A. Overpopulation
B. Religious persecution
C. Lack of job opportunities
D.Agricultural decline (not enough food)
E. Conflict
F. Political persecution (oppressive government)
G.Natural disasters
1. Drought
2. Flood
3. Famine
4. Volcanoes
H.Limits on personal freedom
I. Environmental degradation
1. Pollution
V. Pull factors – conditions that draw people to migrate into a
new area
A. Religious freedom
B. Economic opportunity
C. Land availability
D.Political freedom
E. Ethnic and family ties
F. Arable (fertile, farmable) land
Emigrant – someone who moves out (exits) their native
homeland
Immigrant – someone who moves into another country
Cultural diffusion – the spread of knowledge, skills, and ideas
from one culture to another
 a result of migration
Resources – things that are useful
A.
Natural resources – made by nature, used by humans
1. Renewable resources – replenish themselves
a. Soil
b. Water
c. Forests
d. Wind
2. Non-renewable resources – do not replenish
themselves
a. Fossil fuels – coal, oil, & natural gas
b. Minerals
c. Metals
B.
Human resources – people that make up the labor
force
1. Education level: number of years of schooling
“brain power”
2. Entrepreneurial: ability and skills to start and own
a business
3. Managerial skills
4. Skilled and unskilled labor force
C.
Capital resources
1. Money
a. Investments
b. Loans
2. Infrastructure
a. Communication systems
b. Transportation networks
c. Utilities
* tends to be strong for developed nations
3. Equipment
a. Machinery
b. Tools
c. Technologies
Economy – production and exchange of goods and services
 How a group of people support themselves
 Can operate on a local, national or international level
 The uneven distribution of resources requires an
exchange of goods/services
A.
Economic Systems – the way people produce and
exchange goods
1.
2.
3.
4.
B.
Traditional economy – goods and services are
traded or exchanged without the use of money
(barter)
Command economy – production (ownership) of
goods and services is controlled by a central
government (planned), does not reflect consumer
demand
Market economy – production of goods and
services is determined by the demand of
consumers, based on the idea supply and demand
(capitalism)
Mixed economy – market economy with some
interaction of the government, government
involvement provides for the benefit of all people
Economic Activity – describe how materials are
gathered and processed in to goods or how they
are delivered to consumers
1.
2.
3.
Primary economic activity – gathering
of raw materials (hunting, fishing, farming,
mining)
Secondary economic activity – adding
value to materials by changing their form
(processing and manufacturing)
Tertiary economic activity – providing businesses
or professional services (teachers, doctors, retail)
C.
Production of Goods – how do countries decide
what to produce
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The location of resources influences economic
activity and patterns of land use
Determination of the costs and benefits of using
natural resources
a. Costs – resource depletion,
environmental degradation, health
problems
b. Benefits – production of goods and
services, employment opportunities,
development of technologies
Economic development priorities
Environmental conservation policies
Priorities of indigenous minorities (protection of
cultures and inhabitants of the land
Think about the following energy sources:
Wood, Coal, Petroleum, Nuclear, Solar, Wind
What types of activity and/or technology has created a
demand for these resources? How are they used? What
are some of the benefits and costs related to the use of
these resources?
Ex.
Wood:
used as an early form of energy;
used for light and heat;
used as an energy source in developing
countries today;
burning of wood depletes a natural
resource that can take years to replenish
and has been a cause of deforestation
Government – system or philosophy by which a society provides
order and the welfare of its people
A.
B.
C.
D.
Role of government
Government type
1. Communist
2. Democracy
3. Dictatorship
4. Monarchy
5. Socialist system
Levels of government
1. National
2. State
3. Local
Sovereignty
Define each of the government styles listed above. Can you
name a country that uses that style?
Development – the process by which countries improve their
people’s quality of life
In the developed countries of the world, countries in the
core, people generally enjoy a high quality of life.
In the developing countries of the world, countries on the
periphery, people have a generally low quality of life
Factors to determine Development

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Availability of natural resources
Fossil fuels
Water
Access to capital resources
Technology
Infrastructure
Human resources
Labor force
Educational achievement
High school graduate
College graduate
Level of economic development
GDP
Per capita income
Percent Urban v. Rural
Population distribution
Labor force characteristics
Primary sector workers – gathering
natural resources
Secondary sector workers –
manufacturing or assembly
Tertiary sector workers – service industry
Using these factors, describe characteristics of a developed
nation. A developing nation.
Developed v. Developing
What’s the difference?
Developed United States
Developing  Ethiopia
Developed
Developing
High access to natural resources
Limited access to natural resources
Advanced technology
Limited technology
Strong infrastructure
Weak infrastructure
Well-educated labor force & highly
skilled labor
Poorly trained labor force &
unskilled labor
High GDP
Low GDP
High per capita income (+ $20,000)
Low per capita income (- $5,000)
Highly urbanized
Large % of the population is rural
but urbanization is rapid
Small % of the economy is based in
the primary sector
Increased % of the economy is
based in the secondary sector
Largest % of the economy is based
in the tertiary sector
Most of the population has a high
school diploma and many with
college degrees
Largest % of the economy is based
in the primary sector
Small % of the economy is based in
the secondary sector
Little to no % of the economy is
based in the tertiary sector
Most of the population has no
opportunity for an education past
the 8th grade
Indicators of Standard of Living & Quality of Life
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Population growth
Natural increase
Population pyramid
Age/Gender distribution
Literacy rate
Life expectancy
Infant mortality rate
Percent urban v. rural
Type of agricultural activity
Commercial/Subsistence
Percent of population involved in
agriculture
What type of standard of living do United States citizens
“enjoy”?
Standard of Living/ Quality of Life
Developed
Developing
Moderate to low population natural
increase ( perhaps even negative)
Population increase is usually very
high
Population pyramid

Population pyramid

+ 90% literacy rate
50% or less literacy rate
Life expectancy age of 75-80
Life expectancy age of 50-60
Low infant mortality (due to
excellent health care)
High infant mortality (due to poor
health care)
Highly urbanized
Highly rural
Commercial agriculture (cash
crops)
Subsistence agriculture (just
enough to support life)
Low % of the population is involved High % of the population is involved
in agriculture
in agriculture
Economic – of, relating to, or based on the production,
distribution, and consumption goods and services
Interdependence – reliance on one another for goods, services
and ideas
Why would countries be interdependent on one another?
Economics
+
Interdependence
=
Global Economic Interdependence – the reliance on nearly every
country in the world on such economic links with other
countries as trade networks and overseas investments
Globalization – the spread of the same ideas, practices, and
cultural preferences around much of the world, resulting from
the expansion of international trade, travel, and
communication. Because of the economic and cultural power of
the United States, much of the globalizing influence today is
American
Alliance – a group of countries that join together for a specific
purpose
Economics
+
Alliance
=
Economic Alliance – a group of countries that join together for
the purpose of trade relating to the exchange of resources and/
or the production and distribution of goods and services
Examples:
EU, NAFTA, OPEC