Culture in human geography explains how human groups develop shared meanings, behaviors, and ways of life. It shapes identity, influences landscapes, and structures interactions across space.

What Culture Means in Human Geography

Culture in human geography refers to the shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors that characterize a group and are transmitted through learning rather than biological inheritance. Geographers study culture to understand why groups behave differently across places and how those differences affect spatial patterns.

Culture is a foundational concept because it connects human behavior with geographic space. Human geographers examine how cultural traits emerge, how they spread, and how they influence the organization of societies. These cultural elements are not random; they develop from historical experiences, environmental conditions, and interactions with other groups.

Components of Culture

Culture is made up of multiple interconnected elements that shape how people understand and interact with the world. These elements create internal cohesion within a group while distinguishing it from others.

Shared Practices

Shared practices include routine behaviors and customary activities that members of a culture learn through socialization.

This image shows two people shaking hands, a common greeting that represents a shared cultural practice. It highlights how everyday behaviors, such as greetings or gestures, are learned and reinforced through social norms. Although specific greeting styles vary by region, the broader idea of culturally prescribed ways to greet others is nearly universal. Source.

They often appear in:

• Foodways, including ingredients, preparation methods, and dietary norms

• Social rituals, such as greetings, celebrations, and rites of passage

• Economic practices, including labor roles, trade norms, and consumption habits

• Political behaviors, such as participation patterns or leadership structures

Technologies

Technologies reflect the tools, systems, and innovations a culture develops to meet its needs. These technologies range from simple tools to complex digital networks:

• Agricultural tools and irrigation systems

• Transportation infrastructure

• Architectural innovations

• Communication systems, including written language and digital media

Attitudes

Attitudes are shared values and belief systems that guide how people interpret the world. These include:

• Views on gender roles

• Environmental attitudes

• Religious beliefs

• Norms about social hierarchy or equality

Attitudes influence decisions about land use, family structure, political organization, and resource distribution.

Behaviors

Behaviors are the observable actions individuals take in daily life that stem from shared cultural frameworks. They may include:

• Settlement patterns

• Work routines

• Leisure activities

• Patterns of movement or migration

Behavior provides visible evidence of cultural influence on landscapes and spatial patterns.

Culture as a System

Human geographers often describe culture as a system—a set of interrelated components that together shape how societies function. Within this system:

• Practices reflect underlying attitudes

• Technologies help maintain behaviors

• Behaviors reinforce shared values

• Attitudes legitimize technologies and practices

Because culture functions as an integrated system, changes to one element can lead to changes in others.

Cultural Transmission

Central to the definition of culture is the idea of transmission, meaning that cultural knowledge is passed from one generation to the next. Transmission occurs through:

• Socialization, in which families and communities teach cultural norms

• Education, including formal schooling and informal learning

• Imitation and observation, especially in early childhood

• Communication, both spoken and written

The persistence of cultural identity relies on these mechanisms.

Spatial Dimensions of Culture

Human geographers focus on how culture varies across space and produces identifiable patterns on the landscape. Culture influences spatial patterns in several ways.

Cultural Regions

Cultures tend to cluster in space, forming identifiable cultural regions where people share similar traits.

This map shows three major cultural areas in the Pacific—Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia—each representing a region where groups share related cultural histories and practices. It illustrates how geographers can delineate cultural regions on a map based on common traits rather than political borders. The map includes specific regional labels, which go beyond the AP syllabus but serve to demonstrate the concept of a cultural region concretely. Source.

These regions may be:

• Formal regions with clearly defined boundaries

• Functional regions organized around a central point

• Perceptual regions shaped by shared perceptions rather than formal borders

Place and Identity

Culture shapes place, giving locations meaning beyond their physical characteristics. The cultural identity of a place may be visible in:

• Building styles

• Signage and language use

• Religious structures

• Land-use patterns

Because culture influences how space is organized, it also shapes how individuals experience and interpret places.

Cultural Interaction Across Space

Cultural traits are not static. They move across space through interactions among people. Movement and exchange—whether through migration, trade, technology, or communication—allow cultural ideas and behaviors to spread beyond their original locations. As they do, they can influence local cultures or combine with them, creating new expressions.

The Importance of Culture in Human Geography

Studying culture helps geographers explain why societies differ in their organization, technologies, and behaviors. It also allows them to examine:

• How cultural differences create distinct landscapes

• Why cultural groups respond differently to similar environments

• How cultural interactions shape global and local change

• How cultural identities influence political, economic, and social processes

Understanding culture is essential for interpreting global diversity and the geographic patterns that shape human life.

This map displays the largest reported ethnic or cultural origin in each census division of Canada, illustrating how cultural identity varies spatially. It demonstrates how cultural traits such as ancestry can be visualized as patterns across a country. The map includes a detailed legend with many specific categories, which exceeds AP requirements but effectively shows how geographers map cultural variation. Source.