Italy/Greece/Croatia
AP Human Geo P1
Our regions were Italy, Croatia and Greece, 3 coastal regions around the Adriatic Sea. The Cultural landscape of these countries is very diverse, with various ethnic groups and cultures. The 3 regions mostly follow Christianity. All 3 regions have been heavily influenced by various world wars. Italy has been on the losing side of both World War 1 and 2, and a resulting civil war managed to lead their country into becoming a parliamentary republic. Both Croatia and Greece have been changed a lot from wars in the Balkans, with Croatia gaining independence after the Balkanization of Yugoslavia, and Greece continuing to maintain high tensions with its neighbor, Turkey. Overall, these 3 countries have suffered major hardships, but have managed to continue to survive and continue their cultural landscapes.
Religion (The Vatican)
The Vatican City is a sovereign city state in the region of Italy, lead under the jurisdiction of the Holy See, which means it is effectively governed by the Pope. This image shows a holy gathering at one of the many churches in the Vatican. The priests are dressed in traditional Catholic garb and are seen performing a ritual with a censer. The church is adorned with many statues of religious imagery, like gold engravings on the lectern, and the cross on the wall.
These symbols indicate Catholicism, and the various priests around further show the religion. The use of a censer and the fact that most of the priests are masked makes this seem like some sort of cleansing ritual, most likely during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Religion (Greece)
In this photo we can see a religious ceremony with many religious leaders. In the sides there are men in suits presumably watching the ceremony. Above the seats of the religious leaders there are crosses meaning that this is a Christian ceremony. We can also see a throne-looking chair with another religious leader sitting on it. Above this throne there is a painting of a man who also looks to have similar clothing to these religious leaders.
In the back we can observe a large wooden door with marble pillars on either side of it. The door seems to have gold detailing. On top of the door there is a semi-circle encompassing another painting of what looks like Jesus Christ. Directly to the right of the throne there are some sort of vents entailing that this is in the modern day. To the far right there is a large painting which also has gold detailing.
Seeing the crosses, we can infer that this is a place that follows the religion of Christianity. The marble pillars, which are common in old Greek architecture, can help us infer that we are in Greece. The vent in the wall shows that we are in a modern era. Therefore, we can infer that this is a Christian place of worship in modern-day Greece.
Language (Croatia)
Language(Greece)
In this photo the first thing to see is a Greek phi letter above a storefront. The letter is then followed by what look like letters of the Latin alphabet but due to the phi we know it is the Greek alphabet. The letters observed are alpha, rho, mu, kappa, epsilon, and iota (ΦΑΡΜΕΑΚΕΙΑ). When this is put into a translator it observes the language to be Greek and the word to “Pharmacies”. In another sign we can see a Q which is not part of the Greek alphabet, so we know it is a mixture of another culture.
The building has storefronts on the bottom and on top is white with whit balconies extending out. In the back there is a building with a brick base floor that is covered with posters and graffiti. Above there is a cream building with balconies as well. The building is partially with a green mesh covering. Leading us to believe that it is under construction. There are also two cars in the very front of the photo. One a white van and the other an emerald sedan. Behind these cars there is a motorcycle with a person wearing a motorcycle helmet mounted on top.
Using the fact that we can observe the Greek language saying “Pharmacies”. It is safe to assume that we are next to a Pharmacy somewhere in Greece.
Urban Land Use (Italy)
Urban Land Use (Croatia)
This photo displays a large square surrounded by buildings. The sides of the square are covered by seating areas with tent or umbrella coverings. To the left we see a brown building with a white tent with red highlights extending out. The tent has two sets of words that read “...OSKA KAVANA” and “RESTAURANT CENTRAL”. When “KAVANA” is put it into a translator it detects the word as being a Croatian word meaning Café or Pub. Next to this building there is a more worn-out stone brick building. In the back there is a fancier looking building with orange tile roof, a white color with metal balconies. Additionally, there is gold detailing at the top of the building. At the bottom there is a green colored storefront. In between the worn-out and fancy buildings is an umbrella with the text “Palača Judita” which translates from Croatian as “Palace of Judith”. On the right side there is a cream-colored building with an orange tile roof. It has an arched doorway leading to a wood and glass door. Above the doorway there is a sign saying, “The Treasury of the Split Cathedral”. With a print of an artwork of a man as the background of the sign. The sky is very clear with not a cloud in sight. There are lots of people, the majority wearing T-shirts and shorts.
Using the fact that there is much of the Croatian language in the photo we can assume that this is photo is from Croatia. Additionally, we see the Split Cathedral meaning that we are in the coastal Croatian city of Split. Though we can also quite a bit of English as well as many people, I expect that this is a touristy area in Split.
Rural Land Use (Italy)
Rural Land Use (Greece)
This image displays a rural landscape on the Greek island of Crete. The landscape seems to be of a valley with a hill from the camera’s point of view and two hills obscuring the landscape behind it. These two hills appear to be covered in drier plants and soil with the occasional tree or bush. In between these hills there are rows of crops that look like grapevines. In the distance we can see larger hills with a similar landscape to the hills in front of the camera. The sky is blue and clear of any clouds.
The fact that there are grape vines all over the landscape leads me to think that this is a vineyard to make wine.
Ethnic Enclave (Croatia)
Ethnic Enclave (Greece)
When looking at this image the first thing you see is the massive flag in the middle. The flag displays a black double headed eagle on a red background. Holding this flag up there are many people wearing t-shirts that show a red blob with a dot of black and some unreadable white text. The red blob is map of the region of Greece called Epirus. This region is where majority of Albanians in Greece live. Surrounding this flag there are many hundreds of people holding up other flags and signs. One light blue sign with yellow details clearly reads “PDIU”. This is an abbreviation for the Party for Justice, Integration and Unity. This party is a right-wing political party in Albania.
In the front we can see a man with some sort of sound mixing station and a microphone. We can also see a man with a large film camera. This man could work for a news company. In the background we can see tall grass and some trees. The sky is partly cloudy.
This photo displays a protest in Greece to support the Cham Albanian that were killed by the Greeks and how Albanians have been forced to only live in Epirus.
Summary: Overall, the prevailing cultural trait in these regions seems to be religion, primarily Christianity/Catholicism. These two religions show up a lot, with the Vatican City in Italy having the Pope, a major religious figure. Vineyards also seem to be very prevalent in rural areas, suggesting that many rural people live off of farming industry, but more for alcohol production instead of food production. The cities of this region are very similar, with square streets and a lot of different stores and businesses. While these countries are decently far apart, they are all incredibly similar. The ethnic enclaves in these countries are very prevalent, with Albanians in Greece and Serbs in Croatia being very outspoken. The ethnic enclaves in these countries mostly come from very close countries, with Albania being next to Greece and Serbia being very close to Croatia. These neighboring countries seem to have a lot of influence on our region, and the people from those countries still manage to show their heritage without assimilation.