Cultural Geography

Cultural geography studies the relationship between people, customs, and geography. Cultural geography studies people’s cultural values, behaviors, discursive and material expressions, and artefacts, as well as society’s cultural diversity and heterogeneity, how cultures are spread over space, how places and identities are formed, how people make sense of places and create senses of place, and how people develop and communicate information and meaning.

Bar chart show voting versus non voting cardinals.

Map and Chart of Cardinals and the 2025 Papal Conclave

Caitlin Dempsey

The 2025 papal conclave is underway. Here's which countries the 135 voting cardinals eligible to elect the next pope come from.

Dark blue book cover with golden lettering and an elaborate compass rose in gold.

License to Travel: A Cultural History of the Passport | Geography Book Review

G.T. Dempsey

More anecdotal than history, License to Travel is both an engaging and instructive book.

A replica of the Matterhorn mountain behind an alpine inspired building in Disneyland.

Geography Trivia About Disneyland

Caitlin Dempsey

Disneyland has some fascinating geography trivia.

Fact sheet with Landsat image for the state of Rhode Island.

Geography Facts: Rhode Island

Caitlin Dempsey

Learn geography trivia about the smallest state in the United States.

A satellite image of the state of Iowa against a black background with the state flag and USGS and NASA logos in the upper right and left corners.

Geography of Iowa

Marques Hayes

Iowa is a state with many distinct geographies.

Book cover for James Campbell's Talking at the Gates: A Life of James Baldwin

Review | Talking at the Gates: A Life of James Baldwin

G.T. Dempsey

Talking at the Gates by James Campbell is a biography of James Baldwin, one of the most influential American writers of the twentieth century.

Geography of Happiness

Mark Altaweel

Geography can have a major influence on happiness.

World map showing the number of heavy metal bands per 100,000 people by country.

Geography of Heavy Metal Bands

Caitlin Dempsey

Which countries have the most heavy metal bands?

Book cover for We Are the Land.

Review | We Are the Land: A History of Native California

G.T. Dempsey

We Are the Land: A History of Native California recounts the perspective of the California Indians.

Geography of Thanksgiving

Caitlin Dempsey

Each November, families in the United States gather to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Screenshot of the Music Map - Search online mapping application.

The Geography of Music

Mark Altaweel

Music has a number of important geographical links that affect the economic, politics, and tastes of music.

Interesting Geography Trivia About Japan

Caitlin Dempsey

Here are some interesting geography facts about Japan.

The Geography of Early Christian Ireland and England

G.T. Dempsey

     For nearly four centuries, Britain was Roman Britannia.  This period of imperial rule was a largely peaceful and prosperous time.  It was also ...

Geography of Beliefs

Mark Altaweel

Geographic factors can shape our beliefs not only in our early life and development years, but they can also affect us as we move and change where we reside throughout our lives

Satellite image of northeastern cities of Pyeongchang and Gangneung, South Korea.

Geography of the Winter Olympic Games

Caitlin Dempsey

Learn about the Olympic Winter Games' geography.

Racial composition of cities versus suburbs in US metropolitan areas 1970–2010. Figure: Massey and Tannen, 2017.

Racial Diversity Still Lacking in US Suburbs Per Study

Caitlin Dempsey

A study out of Princeton University has found that United States suburbs are still mostly dominated by white residents.

Gender Difference in Spatial Ability Influenced by Task Context

Liam Oakwood

New research has found that gender differences in spatial ability is significantly affected by the conceptual framework the task is presented in.

The Geography of Genius

Elizabeth Borneman

The Geography of Genus, by Eric Weiner, takes a look at where and how geniuses flourish in the world.

Correlation between extraversion and happiness for woody area and an open, flat area. From: Oishi, Talhelm, and Lee, 2015.

When it Comes to Geography Introverts Prefer Mountains

A.J. Rohn

Researchers wanted to find out if introverts prefer a certain type of topography.

A screenshot of a mapping application of where pronouns exist in that language.

Language Development and Geography

Elizabeth Borneman

Researchers around the world are pooling their resources and knowledge to find out how climate affects language development.

Times Square by Bert Monroy.

Bert Monroy – An Artist at the Intersection of Geography and Art

Kristina Jacob

Kristina Jacobs interviews Bert Monroy about his geography themed art.

How Topography Affects Language

Caitlin Dempsey

How high up you live affects your spoken language.