Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 7.28
Major Religious Regions of the United States. A generalized map of the religious regions
of the United States shows concentrations of the major religions. Adapted with permission from :
W. Zelinsky, The Cultural Geography of the United States , rev. ed., Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice
Hall, 1992, p. 96.
Immigrants spent their own money and used their build-
ing skills to construct more ornate churches and dozens
of cathedrals that tied them back to their country of ori-
gin and demonstrated their commitment to their faith
(Fig. 7.31).
is the town's most imposing and most carefully main-
tained building. Five times every day, from the towering
minarets , the faithful are called to prayer. The sounds
emanating from the minarets fi ll the streets as the faithful
converge on the holy place to pray facing Mecca.
At the height of Islam's expansion into eastern North
Africa and southern Europe, Muslim architects incor-
porated earlier Roman models into their designs. The
results included some of the world's greatest architectural
masterpieces, such as the Alhambra Palace in Granada
and the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain. Islam's pro-
hibition against depicting the human form led to the wide
Landscapes of Islam
Elaborate, sometimes magnifi cently designed mosques
whose balconied minarets rise above the townscape domi-
nate Islamic cities, towns, and villages. Often the mosque
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