Activity 2 Introduction One culture or many Unicultural or multicultural That is an important issue to consider when viewing different nations of the world As we discuss culture language and religion this activity should provide you with an opportunity to look at the 25 most populous nations in the world and to observe whether they are unicultural or multicultural Procedure Use an almanac or Internet based almanacs to find information on each of these nations the 25 most populous nations in the world according to U S government sources Typically an almanac contains information about a nation such as this entry on Austria Languages German 98 small Slovene Croatian and Hungarian speaking minorities Ethnicity race German 88 non nationals 9 3 includes Croatians Slovenes Hungarians Czechs Slovaks Roma Religions Roman Catholic 78 Protestant 5 Islam and other 17 Or this entry on Ghana Languages English official Native tongues Brong Ahafo Twi Fanti Ga Ewe Dagbani Ethnicity race black African 98 5 major tribes Akan 44 Moshi Dagomba 16 Ewe 13 Ga 8 Gurma 3 Yoruba 1 Religions Christian 63 indigenous beliefs 21 Islam 16 Source Time Almanac with Information Please 2004 1 Your assignment is to research each nation and fill out the attached chart Austria and Ghana are done for you as examples The purpose is to decide if the country contains basically one culture group or if it contains several culture groups as evidenced by speaking more than one language practicing several different religions and having several ethnic groups among its population It is your judgment and analysis that will lead you to decide Unicultural or Multicultural 2 When you have finished the chart go back and explain why you made the decision for each country This should be typed or written neatly on a separate sheet of paper and attached to this activity For Example Austria Austria appears to be pretty unicultural The majority of the people are German speak German and practice the same religion Ghana Ghana appears to be multicultural Although nearly half the population is Akan a sizable number of people come from other ethnic groups and speak other languages About one third of the nation practices a different religion 3 Be sure you can locate each of these nations on a world map You do not have to make this map but you should know where each nation is Hint Be a little skeptical about some of the entries you may find in the Almanac on line For example the typical listing for Italy lists a variety of languages and ethnic groups But on closer examination the overwhelming majority of Italians speak Italian and practice the Roman Catholic religion making them well use your good judgment The same is true with France and look carefully at the data on Mexico China and India Geography 201 Human Geography Dr Sarah Bednarz Fall 2007 Hint Be consistent Once you decide one nation is multicultural make sure you follow the same rules for all nations with similar statistics Information on the United States may be difficult to find Again use your good judgment Check the class web site at the area Hints for Activities for suggestions for Internet sources of information Geography 201 Human Geography Dr Sarah Bednarz Fall 2007