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Colors of every shade enrich this vast expanse of world culture. The myriad cultures with their widely differing languages, religions, literatures and lifestyles provide an interesting study of the populace residing in different parts of the world. 

The Culture of Europe

Europe has been the seat of many revolutionary cultural movements of which some like the Renaissance Movement has also gone on to shape the course of events around the globe. A prime reason for the spread of the European cultural threads has been the colonialist ruling of the Europeans.

This is particularly evident from the fact that there are people in USA who speak European languages like Spanish, English, French and Portuguese. The influx of the culture of Europe can be seen in some of the countries of Asia, Africa and Australia too, most notably in the arts and architectural spheres.

The culture of Europe as a whole is a unique fusion, imbibing practices and thoughts from various sources and evolving into an eclectic entirety. A trip here and you will be bowled over by the flavor of world culture nestled in a single continent. However, the advent of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the European Union in recent times has seen a trend towards a unification of these varied cultures. 

The Culture of Asia and the Middle East

World culture is not something compartmentalized and exclusive; there are similarities between even apparently widely dissimilar cultures. For instance, like Christianity in Europe, religion and spiritualism too have been the basis of cultural development in both Asia and the Middle East.

Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Islam and Christianity have played dominant roles in shaping the literature, arts and philosophy of Asia. And amongst the various countries of Asia, India and China, the seats of two of the most ancient civilizations of the world, have exerted quite an influence on the course of development in this continent.

To elaborate, during the 20th century the “Ahimsa” or the principle of Non-violence propagated by Mahatma Gandhi and the Communist ideology preached by Mao Zedong won the admiration and criticism of the world at large. The Hindu and the Buddhist philosophies too, emanating from this region, have gone to mesmerize the West, with the result that there have been a constant stream of Westerners visiting India and East Asia to learn more about these ideologies.

The Middle East is the cradle of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Christianity was born in Judea at the end of the 1st century and from there it spread wings to Europe, Asia and the American continent via Greece and Rome. 

The Culture of USA and Canada

Anglo America (USA and Canada) share sundry cultural similarities, partly because people in these two countries speak a common language, English that is, and also because there is hardly much of a geographical boundary between the countries. However, Canada is considered one of the most ethnically diverse countries of the world. And this has led to the growth of an amazingly multi-hued culture with traces of English, French, Irish, Scottish and aboriginal elements.

World culture is an endless stream of influences and counter-influences between the varied cultures and this is evident in the American culture as well. For instance, while American music is a soulful blend of rock and roll, hip hop, jazz and country, Native American delicacies like turkey, potatoes, corn and squash and European dishes like apple pies and pizzas mingle delectably in American cuisine. In its turn, Hollywood movies continue to dictate fashion and lifestyle trends all around the world.

Be it African or Asian, American or European, the wholesome palate of world culture is a truly dynamic entity where change is the only constant.