There are only a few religions that can claim the adherence of large numbers of people. Geographers distinguish two types of religion: universalizing and ethnic. Universalizing religions attempt to become global, and appeal to all people, regardless of where they may live in the world, not just to those of one culture or location. An ethnic religion appeals primarily to one group of people living in a single place. “About sixty two percent of the world’s population adheres to a universalizing religion, twenty four to an ethnic religion, and fourteen percent to no religion”. The three main universalizing religions are Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. “Each of the three branches is divided into branches, denominations and sects. A branch is a large and fundamental division within a religion. A denomination is a division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations in a single legal and administrative body. A sect is a relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination”. Christianity has two billion followers and has the most widespread distribution. It is the predominant religion in North America, South America, Europe, and Australia (countries with a Christian majority exist in Africa and Asia as well). “Christianity has three major branches: Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox. Roman Catholics comprise 53 percent of the world’s Christians, Protestants 21 percent, and Eastern Orthodox 10 percent”. Roman Catholicism is the dominant Christian branch within Europe. The Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity is a collection of fourteen self-governing churches in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Roman Catholics make up ninety three percent of Christians in Latin America, compared with twenty nine percent in North America. “Within North America, Roman Catholics are clustered in the southwestern and northwestern United States and the Canadian province of Quebec”. Islam is the religion of 1.3 billion people, and is the…
