INTRODUCTION

Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate") is a term that has different meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: a Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. However, the word "culture" is most commonly used in three basic senses:



§ Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as high culture


§ An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning


§ The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group


When the concept first emerged in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe, it connoted a process of cultivation or improvement, as in agriculture or horticulture. In the nineteenth century, it came to refer first to the betterment or refinement of the individual, especially through education, and then to the fulfillment of national aspirations or ideals. In the mid-nineteenth century, some scientists used the term "culture" to refer to a universal human capacity. For the German nonpositivist sociologist, Georg Simmel, culture referred to "the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been objectified in the course of history".


In the twentieth century, "culture" emerged as a concept central to anthropology, encompassing all human phenomena that are not purely results of human genetics. Specifically, the term "culture" in American anthropology had two meanings:


(1) the evolved human capacity to classify and represent experiences with symbols, and to act imaginatively and creatively; and


(2) the distinct ways that people living in different parts of the world classified and represented their experiences, and acted creatively.






Each country in this world has got different types of culture with it. The culture of the country determines the nation

Culture of Nepal

Similarly another nation which is really very rich in culture is Nepal. It is the nation having multiethnic groups, social tribes and many others. Actually multi lingual, multiethnic tribes of Nepal individually has got their own kinds of culture which is really very different in comparison to the whole world.
The rich cultural heritage of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, has evolved over centuries. This multi-dimensional cultural heritage encompasses within itself the cultural diversities of various ethnic, tribal, and social groups inhabiting different altitudes, and it manifests in various forms: music and dance; art and craft; folklores and folktales;languages and literature; philosophy and religion; festivals and celebrations; and foods and drinks.

Culture of United States of America

Similarly the culture of the United States of America is also considered to be another oldest culture. American culture encompasses traditions, ideals, customs, beliefs, values, arts, and innovations developed both domestically and imported via colonization and immigration from the British Isles. Prevalent ideas and ideals which evolved domestically such as important national holidays, uniquely American sports, proud military tradition, and innovations in the arts and entertainment give a strong sense of national pride among the population as a whole.



It includes both conservative and liberal elements, military and scientific competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements.


It also includes elements which evolved from Native Americans, and other ethnic subcultures; most prominently the culture of African American slave descendants and different cultures from Latin America. Many cultural elements, especially popular culture have been exported across the globe through modern mass media where American culture is sometimes resented. A few of the cultural elements have remained rather exclusive to North America.

Culture of India

Another country having indigenous culture is India. It is the country having variant type of culture.The culture of the Indians varies from place to place even in a same state too. The culture of India has been shaped not only by its long history, unique geography and diverse demography, but also by its ancient heritages, which were formed during the Indus Valley Civilization and evolved further during the Vedic age, rise and decline of Buddhism, the Golden age, invasions from Central Asia, European colonization and the Indian independence movement.



India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture and customs differ from place to place within the country, but nevertheless possess a commonality. The culture of India is an amalgamation of these diverse sub-cultures spread all over the Indian subcontinent and traditions that are several millennia old.


Regarded by some historians as the "oldest living civilization of Earth", the Indian tradition dates back to 8,000 BC and has a continuous recorded history for over 2,500 years. Several elements of India's diverse culture — such as Indian religions, yoga and Indian cuisine — have had a profound impact across the world.

Culture of Europe

The culture of Europe might better be described as a series of overlapping cultures. The foundation of European culture was laid by the Greeks, strengthened by the Romans, stabilized by Christianity, reformed and modernized by the fifteenth-century Renaissance and Reformation and globalized by successive European empires between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries, including predominantly Muslim Ottoman Turks. Thus the European Culture developed into a very complex phenomenon of wider range of philosophy, Islamic mysticism, Christian and secular humanism, rational way of life and logical thinking developed through a long age of change and formation with the experiments of enlightenment, naturalism, romanticism, science, democracy, and socialism. Because of its global connection, the European culture grew with an all-inclusive urge to adopt, adapt and ultimately influence other trends of culture. As a matter of fact, therefore, from the middle of the nineteenth century with the expansion of European education and the spread of Christianity, European culture and way of life, to a great extent, turned to be "global culture,"

Culture of Spain

The culture of Spain is a European culture based on a variety of influences. These include the pre-.



Roman cultures, mainly the celts and the Iberians cultures; but mainly in the period of Roman influences. In the areas of language and religion, the Ancient Romans left a lasting legacy. The subsequent course of Spanish history also added elements to the country's cultural development. The Visigothic Kingdom left a sense of a united Christian Hispania that was going to be welded in the Reconquista. Muslim influences were strong during the period of 711 A.D. to the 1400s, especially with loan words. The Spanish language, derives directly from Vulgar Latin, and has minor influences from pre-roman languages like barro -mud-, gothic guerra -war-, Arabic and basque. Other minorities includes the Jewish population in some cities, but after the defeat of the Muslims during the Christian "Reconquista" period between 1000 and 1492, Spain became an almost entirely Roman Catholic country. In addition, the history of the nation and its Mediterranean and Atlantic environment has played a significant role in shaping its culture. By the end of the 19th and 20th , the Spaniards made expressions of cultural diversity easier than it had been for the last seven centuries. This occurred at the same period that Spain became increasingly drawn into a diverse international culture

Culture of Australia

Being the smallest continent of the world with very few number of population Australia has been recognized as a continent with diversified culture. Due to the same reason the Australians are recognized whole over the globe for their indigenous culture.



The demographics of Australia show it to be one of the most urbanized populations in the world, with the majority of Australians living in cities on the coast. Australia's cities are melting pots of different cultures. The indigenous Aboriginal culture survived the first influx of immigrants of Anglo-Irish heritage, who are still the most pervasive immigrant group. The great post-World War II influx of both English and non English-speaking migrants from Britain, Ireland, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Malta and Eastern Europe, and later from the Middle East, East and South-East Asia, and the Indian subcontinent have been significant additions. Lesser numbers of immigrants have also come from the African and American continents.

Culture of Japan

Japanese culture is one of the most strange and unique type of culture not only in Asia but also in whole over the world. Due to the same reason the Japanese culture has been really strange.



The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America. After several waves of immigration from the continent and nearby Pacific islands, the inhabitants of Japan experienced a long period of relative isolation from the outside world during the Tokugawa shogunate until the arrival of "The Black Ships" and the Meiji period.
The Japanese language has always played a significant role in Japanese culture. The language is spoken mainly in Japan but also in some Japanese emigrant communities around the world. It is an agglutinative language and the sound inventory of Japanese is relatively small but has a lexically distinct pitch-accent system.

Culture of china

Another oldest culture of the world is considered to be the Chinese culture. As the land area, as well as the population the culture of this country is also really very distinct. Especially the Chinese has got the Buddhist culture with them.

 The Culture of China is one of the world's oldest and most complex culture.The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces.

 
Today there are 56 distinct recognized ethnic groups in China. In terms of numbers, however, the pre-eminent ethnic group is the Han Chinese. Throughout history, many groups have been assimilated into neighboring ethnicities or disappeared without a trace. At the same time, many within the Han identity have maintained distinct linguistic and regional cultural traditions.

Culture of Greece

The Culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, beginning in the Mycenaean and



Minoan Civilizations, continuing most notably into Classical Greece, through the influence of


the Roman Empire and its Greek Eastern successor the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Empire significantly influenced Greek culture, but historians credit the Greek war of independence with revitalizing Greece and giving birth to a single entity of its multi-faceted culture. The Greek culture is considered to be one of the most oldest culture too as human civilization has started from the famous river of Greece; the Nile.

Culture of Italy

From antiquity until at least to all the sixteenth century, the Italian peninsula was the central place of Western culture,[1] fulcrum or origin of universal phenomena as the Roman Empire,[2] Roman Catholic Church,[3] Humanism and Renaissance. During these times, Italy produced some of the greatest painters, sculptors, poets, musicians, mathematical and architects in history. Both the internal and external facets of Western Civilization were born on the Italian peninsula, whether one looks at the history of the Christian faith, philosophy, art, science or social customs and culture.



Italy did not exist as a political state until its unification in 1861. Due to this comparatively late unification, and the historical autonomy of the regions that comprise the Italian peninsula, many traditions and customs that are now recognized as distinctly Italian can be identified by their regions of origin. Despite the political and social isolation of these regions, Italy's contributions to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe remain immense. Elements which are famous of the Italian culture are its opera and music,[  its iconic gastronomy and food, which are commonly regarded amongst the most popular in the world (with famous dishes such as pasta, pizza, lasagna,focaccia, espresso and Italian gelato), its cinema (with classic films such as8½, Bicycle Thieves, Cinema Paradiso, La Dolce Vita, Life is Beautiful, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly etc.), its collections of priceless works of art and its fashion (Milan is regarded as one of the fashion capitals of the world)


Italy is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (44) to date. From the precepts of the Roman Catholic Church, the spirit of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, are events which greatly shaped Italy'sarchitecture, culture and art. Italy also has the world's 8th highest quality of life index, second best healthcare system and 19th highest life expectancy.