Textbook: Cultural Landscapes, Patterns, and Diffusion | AP Human Geography - Grade 9 PDF Download

 Page 1


130 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: AP
®
 EDITION
UNIT 3
Cultural Patterns and Processes
Chapter 6 Cultural Landscapes, Patterns, and Diffusion
Chapter 7 Historical and Contemporary Processes of Diffusion
Unit Overview
While some human attributes, such as hair color, are heavily influenced by 
biological inheritance, most are not. In general, how people think and act is 
shaped, formally and informally, by what they learn from other people. All of 
the practices, attitudes, and behaviors that people learn from others are part 
of their culture.
Behaviors People Share
Areas where many people share an element of culture—such as speaking a 
particular language—form cultural regions. Geographers use maps, from 
small to large scale—to show the boundaries of these regions.
When people of different cultures meet, they sometimes have conflicts, but 
they always adjust to each other. For example, if they speak different languages, 
one group might adopt the other’s language over time. Or people might blend 
the two languages to create a new one (creolized language). Improvements in 
transportation and communication have increased the interaction of cultures 
throughout history. Culture spreads (diffusion) as people move from one place 
to another and as people interact and learn from each other. In 1500, the region 
where most people spoke English was a small area on the northwest corner of 
Europe. Today, English is the most widely spoken language around the world.
Variations in Culture
Culture changes over time and so do the spatial patterns and processes. 
Geographers use maps to show regions and spatial patterns, such as where 
specific languages are spoken. Additionally, they utilize various types of charts 
and diagrams to show relationships and changes among the elements of culture. 
For example, a tree diagram can show how several languages, including French 
and Spanish, are branches that diverge from a common ancestor, Latin.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
PSO-3:  Cultural practices vary across geographical locations because of physical 
geography and available resources.
IMP-3: The interaction of people contributes to the spread of cultural practices. 
SPS-3: Cultural ideas, practices, and innovations change or disappear over time.
Source: AP® Human Geography Course and Exam Description. Effective Fall 2020. (College Board).
Page 2


130 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: AP
®
 EDITION
UNIT 3
Cultural Patterns and Processes
Chapter 6 Cultural Landscapes, Patterns, and Diffusion
Chapter 7 Historical and Contemporary Processes of Diffusion
Unit Overview
While some human attributes, such as hair color, are heavily influenced by 
biological inheritance, most are not. In general, how people think and act is 
shaped, formally and informally, by what they learn from other people. All of 
the practices, attitudes, and behaviors that people learn from others are part 
of their culture.
Behaviors People Share
Areas where many people share an element of culture—such as speaking a 
particular language—form cultural regions. Geographers use maps, from 
small to large scale—to show the boundaries of these regions.
When people of different cultures meet, they sometimes have conflicts, but 
they always adjust to each other. For example, if they speak different languages, 
one group might adopt the other’s language over time. Or people might blend 
the two languages to create a new one (creolized language). Improvements in 
transportation and communication have increased the interaction of cultures 
throughout history. Culture spreads (diffusion) as people move from one place 
to another and as people interact and learn from each other. In 1500, the region 
where most people spoke English was a small area on the northwest corner of 
Europe. Today, English is the most widely spoken language around the world.
Variations in Culture
Culture changes over time and so do the spatial patterns and processes. 
Geographers use maps to show regions and spatial patterns, such as where 
specific languages are spoken. Additionally, they utilize various types of charts 
and diagrams to show relationships and changes among the elements of culture. 
For example, a tree diagram can show how several languages, including French 
and Spanish, are branches that diverge from a common ancestor, Latin.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
PSO-3:  Cultural practices vary across geographical locations because of physical 
geography and available resources.
IMP-3: The interaction of people contributes to the spread of cultural practices. 
SPS-3: Cultural ideas, practices, and innovations change or disappear over time.
Source: AP® Human Geography Course and Exam Description. Effective Fall 2020. (College Board).
131 CHAPTER 6: CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, PATTERNS, AND DIFFUSION
Cultural Landscapes, 
Patterns, and Diffusion
Topics 3.1–3.4
Topic 3.1 Introduction to Culture
Learning Objective: Define the characteristics, attitudes, and traits that 
 influence geographers when they study culture. (PSO-3.A)
Topic 3.2 Cultural Landscapes
Learning Objectives: Describe the characteristics of cultural landscapes.  
(PSO-3.B)
Explain how landscape features and land and resource use reflect cultural 
beliefs and identities. (PSO-3.C)
Topic 3.3 Cultural Patterns
Learning Objective: Explain patterns and landscapers of language, religion, 
ethnicity, and gender. (PSO-3.D)
Topic 3.4 Types of Diffusion
Learning Objective: Define the types of diffusion. (IMP-3.A)
The Buffalo was part of us, his ?esh and blood being absorbed by 
us until it became our own ?esh and blood. Our clothing, our tipis, 
everything we needed for life came from the buffalo’s body. It was 
hard to say where the animals ended and the human began.
— John (Fire) Lame Deer, Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, 1972
Source: Getty Images
Diffusion and 
migration influence 
the cultural landscape 
of Chinatown in San 
Francisco. (See Topic 
3.2 for characteristics of 
the cultural landscape.)
CHAPTER 6
Page 3


130 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: AP
®
 EDITION
UNIT 3
Cultural Patterns and Processes
Chapter 6 Cultural Landscapes, Patterns, and Diffusion
Chapter 7 Historical and Contemporary Processes of Diffusion
Unit Overview
While some human attributes, such as hair color, are heavily influenced by 
biological inheritance, most are not. In general, how people think and act is 
shaped, formally and informally, by what they learn from other people. All of 
the practices, attitudes, and behaviors that people learn from others are part 
of their culture.
Behaviors People Share
Areas where many people share an element of culture—such as speaking a 
particular language—form cultural regions. Geographers use maps, from 
small to large scale—to show the boundaries of these regions.
When people of different cultures meet, they sometimes have conflicts, but 
they always adjust to each other. For example, if they speak different languages, 
one group might adopt the other’s language over time. Or people might blend 
the two languages to create a new one (creolized language). Improvements in 
transportation and communication have increased the interaction of cultures 
throughout history. Culture spreads (diffusion) as people move from one place 
to another and as people interact and learn from each other. In 1500, the region 
where most people spoke English was a small area on the northwest corner of 
Europe. Today, English is the most widely spoken language around the world.
Variations in Culture
Culture changes over time and so do the spatial patterns and processes. 
Geographers use maps to show regions and spatial patterns, such as where 
specific languages are spoken. Additionally, they utilize various types of charts 
and diagrams to show relationships and changes among the elements of culture. 
For example, a tree diagram can show how several languages, including French 
and Spanish, are branches that diverge from a common ancestor, Latin.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
PSO-3:  Cultural practices vary across geographical locations because of physical 
geography and available resources.
IMP-3: The interaction of people contributes to the spread of cultural practices. 
SPS-3: Cultural ideas, practices, and innovations change or disappear over time.
Source: AP® Human Geography Course and Exam Description. Effective Fall 2020. (College Board).
131 CHAPTER 6: CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, PATTERNS, AND DIFFUSION
Cultural Landscapes, 
Patterns, and Diffusion
Topics 3.1–3.4
Topic 3.1 Introduction to Culture
Learning Objective: Define the characteristics, attitudes, and traits that 
 influence geographers when they study culture. (PSO-3.A)
Topic 3.2 Cultural Landscapes
Learning Objectives: Describe the characteristics of cultural landscapes.  
(PSO-3.B)
Explain how landscape features and land and resource use reflect cultural 
beliefs and identities. (PSO-3.C)
Topic 3.3 Cultural Patterns
Learning Objective: Explain patterns and landscapers of language, religion, 
ethnicity, and gender. (PSO-3.D)
Topic 3.4 Types of Diffusion
Learning Objective: Define the types of diffusion. (IMP-3.A)
The Buffalo was part of us, his ?esh and blood being absorbed by 
us until it became our own ?esh and blood. Our clothing, our tipis, 
everything we needed for life came from the buffalo’s body. It was 
hard to say where the animals ended and the human began.
— John (Fire) Lame Deer, Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, 1972
Source: Getty Images
Diffusion and 
migration influence 
the cultural landscape 
of Chinatown in San 
Francisco. (See Topic 
3.2 for characteristics of 
the cultural landscape.)
CHAPTER 6
132 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: AP
®
 EDITION
3.1
Introduction to Culture
Essential Question: What are the characteristics, attitudes, and traits 
that influence geographers when they study culture?
T o the Lakota, and other indigenous people on North America’s Great Plains, 
the bison was an essential part of their culture (expressed in the quote on the 
previous page). The bison provided meat for nutrition, a hide for clothing 
and shelter, bones for tools, and fat for soap. The bison was also central to 
their religious beliefs. So, when European settlers hunted the bison nearly to 
extinction, Lakota culture suffered.
Culture is central to a society and the identity of its people, as well as 
its continued existence. Therefore, geographers study culture as a way to 
understand similarities and differences among societies across the world, and 
in some cases, to help preserve these societies.
Analyzing Culture
All of a group’s learned behaviors, actions, beliefs, and objects are a part of 
culture. It is a visible force seen in a group’s actions, possessions, and influence 
on the landscape. For example, in a large city you can see people working in 
offices, factories, and stores, and living in high-rise apartments or suburban 
homes. Y ou might observe them attending movies, concerts, or sporting events.
Culture is also an invisible force guiding people through shared belief 
systems, customs, and traditions. Culture is learned, in that it develops through 
experiences, and not merely transmitted through genetics. For example, many 
people in the United States have developed a strong sense of competitiveness in 
school and business, and believe that hard work is a key to success. These types 
of elements, visible and invisible, are cultural traits. A series of interrelated 
traits make up a cultural complex, such as the process of steps and acceptable 
behaviors related to greeting a person in different cultures. A single cultural 
artifact, such as an automobile, may represent many different values, beliefs, 
behaviors and traditions and be representative of a cultural complex. 
Since culture is learned there are many ways that one generation passes its 
culture to the next. Children and adults learn traits three ways:
• imitation, as when learning a language by repeating sounds or behaviors 
from a person or television
• informal instruction, as when a parent reminds a child to say “please”
• formal instruction, as when students learn history in school
Page 4


130 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: AP
®
 EDITION
UNIT 3
Cultural Patterns and Processes
Chapter 6 Cultural Landscapes, Patterns, and Diffusion
Chapter 7 Historical and Contemporary Processes of Diffusion
Unit Overview
While some human attributes, such as hair color, are heavily influenced by 
biological inheritance, most are not. In general, how people think and act is 
shaped, formally and informally, by what they learn from other people. All of 
the practices, attitudes, and behaviors that people learn from others are part 
of their culture.
Behaviors People Share
Areas where many people share an element of culture—such as speaking a 
particular language—form cultural regions. Geographers use maps, from 
small to large scale—to show the boundaries of these regions.
When people of different cultures meet, they sometimes have conflicts, but 
they always adjust to each other. For example, if they speak different languages, 
one group might adopt the other’s language over time. Or people might blend 
the two languages to create a new one (creolized language). Improvements in 
transportation and communication have increased the interaction of cultures 
throughout history. Culture spreads (diffusion) as people move from one place 
to another and as people interact and learn from each other. In 1500, the region 
where most people spoke English was a small area on the northwest corner of 
Europe. Today, English is the most widely spoken language around the world.
Variations in Culture
Culture changes over time and so do the spatial patterns and processes. 
Geographers use maps to show regions and spatial patterns, such as where 
specific languages are spoken. Additionally, they utilize various types of charts 
and diagrams to show relationships and changes among the elements of culture. 
For example, a tree diagram can show how several languages, including French 
and Spanish, are branches that diverge from a common ancestor, Latin.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
PSO-3:  Cultural practices vary across geographical locations because of physical 
geography and available resources.
IMP-3: The interaction of people contributes to the spread of cultural practices. 
SPS-3: Cultural ideas, practices, and innovations change or disappear over time.
Source: AP® Human Geography Course and Exam Description. Effective Fall 2020. (College Board).
131 CHAPTER 6: CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, PATTERNS, AND DIFFUSION
Cultural Landscapes, 
Patterns, and Diffusion
Topics 3.1–3.4
Topic 3.1 Introduction to Culture
Learning Objective: Define the characteristics, attitudes, and traits that 
 influence geographers when they study culture. (PSO-3.A)
Topic 3.2 Cultural Landscapes
Learning Objectives: Describe the characteristics of cultural landscapes.  
(PSO-3.B)
Explain how landscape features and land and resource use reflect cultural 
beliefs and identities. (PSO-3.C)
Topic 3.3 Cultural Patterns
Learning Objective: Explain patterns and landscapers of language, religion, 
ethnicity, and gender. (PSO-3.D)
Topic 3.4 Types of Diffusion
Learning Objective: Define the types of diffusion. (IMP-3.A)
The Buffalo was part of us, his ?esh and blood being absorbed by 
us until it became our own ?esh and blood. Our clothing, our tipis, 
everything we needed for life came from the buffalo’s body. It was 
hard to say where the animals ended and the human began.
— John (Fire) Lame Deer, Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, 1972
Source: Getty Images
Diffusion and 
migration influence 
the cultural landscape 
of Chinatown in San 
Francisco. (See Topic 
3.2 for characteristics of 
the cultural landscape.)
CHAPTER 6
132 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: AP
®
 EDITION
3.1
Introduction to Culture
Essential Question: What are the characteristics, attitudes, and traits 
that influence geographers when they study culture?
T o the Lakota, and other indigenous people on North America’s Great Plains, 
the bison was an essential part of their culture (expressed in the quote on the 
previous page). The bison provided meat for nutrition, a hide for clothing 
and shelter, bones for tools, and fat for soap. The bison was also central to 
their religious beliefs. So, when European settlers hunted the bison nearly to 
extinction, Lakota culture suffered.
Culture is central to a society and the identity of its people, as well as 
its continued existence. Therefore, geographers study culture as a way to 
understand similarities and differences among societies across the world, and 
in some cases, to help preserve these societies.
Analyzing Culture
All of a group’s learned behaviors, actions, beliefs, and objects are a part of 
culture. It is a visible force seen in a group’s actions, possessions, and influence 
on the landscape. For example, in a large city you can see people working in 
offices, factories, and stores, and living in high-rise apartments or suburban 
homes. Y ou might observe them attending movies, concerts, or sporting events.
Culture is also an invisible force guiding people through shared belief 
systems, customs, and traditions. Culture is learned, in that it develops through 
experiences, and not merely transmitted through genetics. For example, many 
people in the United States have developed a strong sense of competitiveness in 
school and business, and believe that hard work is a key to success. These types 
of elements, visible and invisible, are cultural traits. A series of interrelated 
traits make up a cultural complex, such as the process of steps and acceptable 
behaviors related to greeting a person in different cultures. A single cultural 
artifact, such as an automobile, may represent many different values, beliefs, 
behaviors and traditions and be representative of a cultural complex. 
Since culture is learned there are many ways that one generation passes its 
culture to the next. Children and adults learn traits three ways:
• imitation, as when learning a language by repeating sounds or behaviors 
from a person or television
• informal instruction, as when a parent reminds a child to say “please”
• formal instruction, as when students learn history in school
133 3.1: INTRODUCTION TO CULTURE
CULTURAL COMPLEX OF THE AUTOMOBILE
Social Status
Wealth
Age
Freedom
Independence
Self-reliance
Entertainment
Media
Sports
Rite of Passage
“Sweet 16”
Midlife crisis
Automobile
CULTURAL COMPLEX OF THE AUTOMOBILE
The automobile provides much more than just transportation, as it reflects many values that are central to 
American culture.
Origins of Culture
The area in which a unique culture or a specific trait develops is a culture hearth. 
Classical Greece was a culture hearth for democracy more than 2,000 years ago. 
New York City was a culture hearth for rap music in the 1970s. Geographers 
study how cultures develop in hearths and diffuse—or spread—to other places.
Geographers also study taboos, behaviors heavily discouraged by a culture. 
For example, many cultures have taboos against eating certain foods, such as 
pork or insects. What is considered taboo changes over time. In the United 
States, marriages between Protestants and Catholics were once taboo, but they 
are not widely opposed now.
Traditional, Folk, and Indigenous Cultures
With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18
th
 century, modern 
transportation and communication connected people as never before and led 
to extensive cultural mixing, especially as cities have grown. The world prior 
to this time was very different; however, remnants of the past are still evident 
in our modern cultures. Traditional, folk, and indigenous cultures share some 
important characteristics and are often grouped together, but they do have 
some subtle differences. 
Traditional Culture Recently, the meanings of traditional, folk, and 
indigenous culture have begun to merge, causing geographers to debate when 
each should be used. Increasingly, the term traditional culture is used to 
encompass all three cultural designations. All three types share the function of 
passing down long-held beliefs, values, and practices and are generally resistant 
to rapid changes in their culture.
Folk Culture The beliefs and practices of small, homogenous groups of 
people, often living in rural areas that are relatively isolated and slow to change, 
are known as folk cultures. Like all cultures, they demonstrate the diverse 
ways that people have adapted to a physical environment. For example, people 
Page 5


130 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: AP
®
 EDITION
UNIT 3
Cultural Patterns and Processes
Chapter 6 Cultural Landscapes, Patterns, and Diffusion
Chapter 7 Historical and Contemporary Processes of Diffusion
Unit Overview
While some human attributes, such as hair color, are heavily influenced by 
biological inheritance, most are not. In general, how people think and act is 
shaped, formally and informally, by what they learn from other people. All of 
the practices, attitudes, and behaviors that people learn from others are part 
of their culture.
Behaviors People Share
Areas where many people share an element of culture—such as speaking a 
particular language—form cultural regions. Geographers use maps, from 
small to large scale—to show the boundaries of these regions.
When people of different cultures meet, they sometimes have conflicts, but 
they always adjust to each other. For example, if they speak different languages, 
one group might adopt the other’s language over time. Or people might blend 
the two languages to create a new one (creolized language). Improvements in 
transportation and communication have increased the interaction of cultures 
throughout history. Culture spreads (diffusion) as people move from one place 
to another and as people interact and learn from each other. In 1500, the region 
where most people spoke English was a small area on the northwest corner of 
Europe. Today, English is the most widely spoken language around the world.
Variations in Culture
Culture changes over time and so do the spatial patterns and processes. 
Geographers use maps to show regions and spatial patterns, such as where 
specific languages are spoken. Additionally, they utilize various types of charts 
and diagrams to show relationships and changes among the elements of culture. 
For example, a tree diagram can show how several languages, including French 
and Spanish, are branches that diverge from a common ancestor, Latin.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
PSO-3:  Cultural practices vary across geographical locations because of physical 
geography and available resources.
IMP-3: The interaction of people contributes to the spread of cultural practices. 
SPS-3: Cultural ideas, practices, and innovations change or disappear over time.
Source: AP® Human Geography Course and Exam Description. Effective Fall 2020. (College Board).
131 CHAPTER 6: CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, PATTERNS, AND DIFFUSION
Cultural Landscapes, 
Patterns, and Diffusion
Topics 3.1–3.4
Topic 3.1 Introduction to Culture
Learning Objective: Define the characteristics, attitudes, and traits that 
 influence geographers when they study culture. (PSO-3.A)
Topic 3.2 Cultural Landscapes
Learning Objectives: Describe the characteristics of cultural landscapes.  
(PSO-3.B)
Explain how landscape features and land and resource use reflect cultural 
beliefs and identities. (PSO-3.C)
Topic 3.3 Cultural Patterns
Learning Objective: Explain patterns and landscapers of language, religion, 
ethnicity, and gender. (PSO-3.D)
Topic 3.4 Types of Diffusion
Learning Objective: Define the types of diffusion. (IMP-3.A)
The Buffalo was part of us, his ?esh and blood being absorbed by 
us until it became our own ?esh and blood. Our clothing, our tipis, 
everything we needed for life came from the buffalo’s body. It was 
hard to say where the animals ended and the human began.
— John (Fire) Lame Deer, Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, 1972
Source: Getty Images
Diffusion and 
migration influence 
the cultural landscape 
of Chinatown in San 
Francisco. (See Topic 
3.2 for characteristics of 
the cultural landscape.)
CHAPTER 6
132 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: AP
®
 EDITION
3.1
Introduction to Culture
Essential Question: What are the characteristics, attitudes, and traits 
that influence geographers when they study culture?
T o the Lakota, and other indigenous people on North America’s Great Plains, 
the bison was an essential part of their culture (expressed in the quote on the 
previous page). The bison provided meat for nutrition, a hide for clothing 
and shelter, bones for tools, and fat for soap. The bison was also central to 
their religious beliefs. So, when European settlers hunted the bison nearly to 
extinction, Lakota culture suffered.
Culture is central to a society and the identity of its people, as well as 
its continued existence. Therefore, geographers study culture as a way to 
understand similarities and differences among societies across the world, and 
in some cases, to help preserve these societies.
Analyzing Culture
All of a group’s learned behaviors, actions, beliefs, and objects are a part of 
culture. It is a visible force seen in a group’s actions, possessions, and influence 
on the landscape. For example, in a large city you can see people working in 
offices, factories, and stores, and living in high-rise apartments or suburban 
homes. Y ou might observe them attending movies, concerts, or sporting events.
Culture is also an invisible force guiding people through shared belief 
systems, customs, and traditions. Culture is learned, in that it develops through 
experiences, and not merely transmitted through genetics. For example, many 
people in the United States have developed a strong sense of competitiveness in 
school and business, and believe that hard work is a key to success. These types 
of elements, visible and invisible, are cultural traits. A series of interrelated 
traits make up a cultural complex, such as the process of steps and acceptable 
behaviors related to greeting a person in different cultures. A single cultural 
artifact, such as an automobile, may represent many different values, beliefs, 
behaviors and traditions and be representative of a cultural complex. 
Since culture is learned there are many ways that one generation passes its 
culture to the next. Children and adults learn traits three ways:
• imitation, as when learning a language by repeating sounds or behaviors 
from a person or television
• informal instruction, as when a parent reminds a child to say “please”
• formal instruction, as when students learn history in school
133 3.1: INTRODUCTION TO CULTURE
CULTURAL COMPLEX OF THE AUTOMOBILE
Social Status
Wealth
Age
Freedom
Independence
Self-reliance
Entertainment
Media
Sports
Rite of Passage
“Sweet 16”
Midlife crisis
Automobile
CULTURAL COMPLEX OF THE AUTOMOBILE
The automobile provides much more than just transportation, as it reflects many values that are central to 
American culture.
Origins of Culture
The area in which a unique culture or a specific trait develops is a culture hearth. 
Classical Greece was a culture hearth for democracy more than 2,000 years ago. 
New York City was a culture hearth for rap music in the 1970s. Geographers 
study how cultures develop in hearths and diffuse—or spread—to other places.
Geographers also study taboos, behaviors heavily discouraged by a culture. 
For example, many cultures have taboos against eating certain foods, such as 
pork or insects. What is considered taboo changes over time. In the United 
States, marriages between Protestants and Catholics were once taboo, but they 
are not widely opposed now.
Traditional, Folk, and Indigenous Cultures
With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18
th
 century, modern 
transportation and communication connected people as never before and led 
to extensive cultural mixing, especially as cities have grown. The world prior 
to this time was very different; however, remnants of the past are still evident 
in our modern cultures. Traditional, folk, and indigenous cultures share some 
important characteristics and are often grouped together, but they do have 
some subtle differences. 
Traditional Culture Recently, the meanings of traditional, folk, and 
indigenous culture have begun to merge, causing geographers to debate when 
each should be used. Increasingly, the term traditional culture is used to 
encompass all three cultural designations. All three types share the function of 
passing down long-held beliefs, values, and practices and are generally resistant 
to rapid changes in their culture.
Folk Culture The beliefs and practices of small, homogenous groups of 
people, often living in rural areas that are relatively isolated and slow to change, 
are known as folk cultures. Like all cultures, they demonstrate the diverse 
ways that people have adapted to a physical environment. For example, people 
134 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: AP
®
 EDITION
around the world learned to make shelters out of available resources, whether 
it was snow or mud bricks or wood. However, people used similar resources 
such as wood differently. In Scandinavia, people used trees to build cabins. In 
the American Midwest, people processed trees into boards, built a frame, and 
attached the boards to it. Many traits of folk culture continue today. Corn was 
first grown in Mexico around 10,000 years ago, and it is still grown there today.
While many elements of folk culture exist side by side with modern culture, 
there are people whose societies have changed little, if at all, from long ago. 
These people practice traditional cultures, those which have not been affected 
by modern technology or influences. They often live in remote regions, such as 
some small tribes in the Amazon rainforest, and have scant knowledge of the 
outside world. As the lines continue blurring between cultural designations, 
the Amish of Pennsylvania are often referenced as both folk and traditional 
culture. 
Indigenous Culture When members of an ethnic group reside in their 
ancestral lands, and typically possess unique cultural traits, such as speaking 
their own exclusive language, they are considered an indigenous culture. 
Some indigenous peoples have been displaced from their native lands, but still 
practice their indigenous culture. Native Americans in the United States, such 
as the Navajo, have kept indigenous cultural practices. First Nations of Canada, 
such as the Inuit, have also retained their indigenous culture. 
Globalization and Popular Culture
As a result of the Industrial Revolution, improvements in transportation and 
communication have shortened the time required for movement, trade, or 
other forms of interaction between two places. This development, known as 
space-time compression (see Topics 1.4 and 3.6), has accelerated culture change 
around the world. In 1817, a freight shipment from Cincinnati needed 52 days 
to reach New York City. By 1850, because of canals and railroads, it took half 
that long. And by 1852, it took only 7 days. Today, an airplane flight takes only 
a few hours, and digital information takes seconds or less.
Similar change has occurred on the global scale. People travel freely across 
the world in a matter of hours, and communication has advanced to a point 
where people share information instantaneously across the globe. The increased 
global interaction has had a profound impact on cultures, from spreading 
English across the world to instant sharing of news, events and music.
Globalization specifically refers to the increased integration of the world 
economy since the 1970s. The process of intensified interaction among peoples, 
governments, and companies of different countries around the globe has had 
profound impacts on culture. 
The culture of the United States is intertwined with globalization. Through 
the influence of its corporations, Hollywood movies, and government, the 
United States exerts widespread influence in other countries. But other 
countries also shape American culture. For example, in 2019, the National 
Basketball Association included players from 38 countries or territories.