Question

Explain the Cultural/Human Geography of Asia. What makes their cultural so unique and different that the rest of our global world? Why is Asia's Religious Geography so much different than most of our global society

Answer 1

Asia is the largest of the world’s continents, covering approximately 30 percent of the Earth’s land area. It is also the world’s most populous continent, with roughly 60 percent of the total population.

The Fertile Crescent is considered the birthplace of agriculture. Civilizations developed along a series of watersheds, starting with the Nile River valley and arching up the Mediterranean coast, eastward toward Iraq and southward along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers until reaching the Persian Gulf.

Nomadic peoples settled along the lush river banks to harvest wild wheat and barley, becoming the world’s first farmers. This represented a fundamental shift in the lifestyle of early humans, who until that point had survived by following their food as hunter-gatherers. Through agriculture, people learned to sustain themselves by manipulating the natural environment.

As more tribes settled and worked together, important agricultural innovations were developed, such as the wheel, irrigation, and hand tools. Farmers used these tools to tame wild grasses, such as wheat, barley, and lentils. Farmers also domesticated animals such as cows, sheep, and pigs.

Agriculture made cities and civilizations possible by producing enough food for the community so not everyone had to provide for themselves. People not engaged in agriculture had time to develop writing, religion, taxation, and trade. For instance, the cuneiform writing system has preserved the history of the metropolis of Ur, part of the Sumerian civilization, which developed around 2100 BCE.

The Indus Valley was another hotspot of early civilization. From 2600 BCE to 1700 BCE, settlements developed on the flood plain of the Indus River, stretching over a million square kilometers from northwestern India through Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The cities of the Indus Valley civilization established early forms of urban planning and construction. Buildings were well-organized and built out of durable materials such as brick and stone. Cities contained docks along the river, granaries, temples, residences, and warehouses. Cities were often surrounded by high walls, which offered protection from both natural disasters, such as floods, and invading armies.

The spread of religion is an important example of how cultural practices expand into distant territories through a variety of direct and indirect actions. Buddhism, for example, has its roots in Nepal and India in the late 6th century BCE. Well-established maritime and land trade routes allowed Buddhist thought to spread to other Asian territories. Missionaries joined Buddhist merchants on their ships and caravans, carrying with them religious manuscripts and images.

Buddhist missionaries remained in market cities for extended periods of time, facilitating the exchange of ideas and symbols. Today, Buddhism is the majority religion throughout most of eastern Asia, from Japan in the north to Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, and Laos in the south.

Asia’s rich cultural heritage has modernized, along with its developing economies. The continent’s growing middle class and increased investment from abroad support this modernization. Asian film, fashion, and music highlight the relationship between historic cultures and contemporary markets.

India is the world’s largest producer of films, producing more than 2,500 movies every year. Film production is so widespread in India that it is categorized regionally. Areas such as Mumbai, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu produce distinct films that reflect regional language and culture. Government and private industry have invested heavily in India’s film industry, and today more than 30 film production companies exist in the country. The world’s largest film studio, Ramoji Film City, is in the city of Hyderabad. It offers more than 500 set locations and has the space to produce 60 films at the same time.