An Introduction to Human Geography

The Cultural Landscape, 9e

James M. Rubenstein

Chapter 7

Ethnicity

Victoria Alapo, Instructor

Geog 1050
 Difference between ‘Race’ and
‘Ethnic Group’
• Many Americans wrongly use “race” & “ethnic group” interchangeably the way
they use “religion” and “denomination”.
• What’s the difference?

– Your ethnic group is your culture/language e.g. German person, Yoruba

person, Cherokee person. In other words, what used to be called “tribes”.
So ethnic groups are Culture Groups, see pg 220. On the other hand, race
is your SKIN COLOR (i.e. based on genetics, not culture). See next slide.

– You can have people belonging to the same race, but not the same ethnic
group. E.g. not all white people are German. Not all Blacks are Yorubas.
Not all Native Americans are Cherokee, not all East Asians are Chinese,
etc…Ethnic groups are based on cultural affiliation, not on color.

• Clustering of ethnicities and races in the United States &

• Division by race in South Africa (see maps and next slides)
 Difference between ‘Race’ and
‘Ethnic Group’
• Races
– Even though there is just a single species of humans, Anthropologists use
secondary biological characteristics e.g. skin color, eyes, hair, etc to classify
the human race into different racial groupings. This is not the same as
“racism”. Racism is when people carry these classifications (and their
implications) too far. E.g. presuming human ability, potential, etc. on color.
– 3 main races: Caucasoid (White), Negroid (Black) and Mongoloid (Asian). But
there are others e.g. Native American (Red), etc. What about Hispanics?
Actually, “Hispanic” is not race, it’s an Ethnic Group. Why? Pg 227.
– As Census 2000 shows though, sometimes people are hard to classify (if they
have a mixed racial heritage, e.g. our President. Unless you use the dominant
features of the individual). See pg 227.
 African Americans in the U.S.

The highest percentages of African Americans are in the rural South and in northern cities.
 Hispanic Americans in the U.S.

The highest percentages of Hispanic Americans are in the southwest and in northern cities.
Asian Americans in the U.S.

The highest percentages of Asian Americans are in Hawaii and California.

 Ethnicities & Nationalities
• Rise of nationalities
– Nationalism means loyalty & devotion to a
nationality (patriotism).
– Nation-states are where the territory coincides with
the ethnic group. But many sovereign states, esp.
in Africa, do not contain unified nations.

• Multinational States
– Nigeria is probably one of the best examples, with
over 400 different ethnic groups. See pg 167.
– Former Soviet Union, and present-day Russia. See
next slide. Russia is one of the largest multinational
states, and has 39 nationalities, many of which are
eager for independence. During the Soviet Union,
nationalism was suppressed.
 Ethnic Groups in Russia

Russia officially recognizes 39 ethnic groups, or nationalities, which are concentrated in

western and southern portions of the country.
 Ethnicities in the Caucasus

The Caucasus region is extremely diverse ethnically; this causes turmoil.

Ethnic groups are spread across several national boundaries.
 Clashes of Ethnicities

• Dividing ethnicities among more than one state

– The Kurds (30 million) lived in independent Kurdistan in
1920. Their country disappeared when Turkey was re-
created and expanded in 1923. Now they are found in 6
different countries. An example of a Stateless Nation.
Pg 242. Other examples of clashes:
– Dividing ethnicities in South Asia (India)
– Dividing Sri Lanka among ethnicities
– Ethnic competition in the Horn of Africa
– Ethnic competition in Lebanon
Ethnic Groups in Southwest Asia

Ethnic boundaries do not match country boundaries,

especially in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
 Ethnicities in Africa

The boundaries of African States do not (and cannot) coincide with the
thousands of ethnic groups on the continent. In Geography, we MEAN “Sovereign States”.
 Ethnicity in the Horn of Africa

There have been numerous interethnic civil conflicts in the countries of the Horn of
Africa (including the Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia).
 Ethnicities in Lebanon

Christians, Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, and Druze are dominant in

different areas of the country.
 The Balkans in 1914

The northern part of the Balkans was part of Austria-Hungary in 1914, while much of the south
was part of the Ottoman Empire. The country of Yugoslavia was created after World War I,
which contained MANY ethnic groups.
 Ethnic Regions in Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia’s six republics until 1992 included much ethnic diversity. Brutal ethnic cleansing
occurred in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo during the civil wars of the 1990s.
 Ethnic Cleansing
• Ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia
– Creation & destruction of multi-ethnic Yugoslavia. See next
slide and aerial photography in text, pg 248.

– Balkanization: the process by which a State breaks

down thru conflicts among its ethnicities. E.g. the case
of Yugoslavia.

– Balkanization is regarded as a threat to peace, since it could

spread beyond the local area into neighboring countries: for
instance, conflict in the Balkans led to WW1.

• Ethnic cleansing in central Africa e.g. Rwanda (Hutus

vs. Tutsis).
Forced Migrations after World War II

Territorial changes after World War II resulted in many migrations,

especially by Poles, Germans, and Russians.
 Ethnic Division of South Asia

At independence in 1947, British India was divided into India and Pakistan, resulting in the
migration of 17 million people and many killings. In 1971, after a brutal civil war,
East Pakistan became the country of Bangladesh.
 Jammu and Kashmir

Although its population is mainly Muslim, much of Jammu and Kashmir became
part of India in 1947. India and Pakistan have fought two wars over the territory,
and there has been a separatist insurgency in the area.
 Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka

The Sinhalese are mainly Buddhist and speak an Indo-European language, while the Tamils are
mainly Hindu and speak a Dravidian language. The Sinhalese dominate govt.,
so the Tamils feel cheated.