Culture Atlas

Returning from my recent vacation to Italy, I compare European and North American way of life in this audio essay and try to get at the root of just why is it that so many Americans and Canadians are burnt out and unhappy, wrapping up with tips on how to live more like a European in North America. *****LINKS***** Episode transcript: https://www.cultureatlas.world/episodes/special-ep-19-how-to-live...

In part 4 of our 4-part series on Switzerland, we’ll take a look at the country’s unique direct democracy system and spend a few minutes on its history to help us better understand Swiss culture and its political stance on the global stage.  We’ll also explore the perks and drawbacks of living in Switzerland, and hear about popular wedding pranks to pull on newly weds. *****LINKS***** Switzerland...

In part 3 of our 4-part series on Switzerland, we'll cover social etiquettes and how to befriend a Swiss. We’ll also take a look at how Swiss people prefer to socialize and have fun, and how punctual they really are. *****LINKS***** Switzerland blog post: to come next week ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast website:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠cultureatlas.world⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stay in touch: @cultureatlaspodcast on Facebook, Instagram & Threa...

In part 2 of our 4-part series on Switzerland, we'll learn about the culture of Switzerland, a small country with yet close to a hundred dialects and three main regional cultures: French, German and Italian. We’ll get to know the different regions of Switzerland and what makes each unique; we’ll also uncover the secret to superior Swiss engineering and take a look at the country’s unique appre...

Get to know Swiss people, Swiss culture and find out what life is like in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. In this 4-part series, my guest Roman Fischer explains why Swiss brands are world-renowned, the origin of their neutral stance on world affairs, wacky cultural celebrations and their one-of-a-kind direct democracy system. In part one, we learn about Roman's personal story growin...

In Part 3, the final part of our series on Tanzania, we explore the history of Tanzania and German and Arab influences on Tanzanian culture. We also talk politics and examine Tanzanian society through the lens of economy and people’s quality of life. Improvements are underway, but very slow. And finally, we'll hear Jovin’s experience sleeping near elephants in the Serengeti National Park and t...

In Part 2 of our series on Tanzania, we take a look at its tribal culture, shaman practices, marriage traditions and popular leisure activities for locals. You'll also hear my guest and I debate about the Lion King which is set in Tanzania and beauty standards in East Africa. *****LINKS***** Episode blog post: ⁠to come next week ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast website:  ⁠⁠⁠cultureatlas.world⁠⁠⁠ Stay in touch: @c...

Tanzania is an East African country best known for its iconic Serengeti National Park, home to the largest lion population in Africa and one of the most remarkable natural events on Earth, the annual Great Migration of wildlife. In this 3-part series, we’ll take a look at life in Tanzania, what people there value and believe. We’ll also learn about the Chaga and Haya tribes of East Africa, hear sp...

This is part 3 of our 3-part series on Colombia. In Part 2, we looked at the dance and carnival culture of Colombia. In this final episode, we'll learn about Colombia's pirate history and take a look at the country today, its politics and biggest issues. We'll get Fabiana's take on how safe it is to visit today and her fabulous recommendations on where to go and what to do. *****LI...

This is part 2 of our 3-part series on Colombia. In Part 1, we introduced you to the land and people of Colombia. Part 2 is all about Latin music, dance and carnivals. Remember Shakira? Yup, she's Colombian. In the land of a thousand rhythms, dance is a language of its own and every Colombian knows how to dance from little kids to grandfathers. As my guest Fabiana says, if you know how to danc...

Sitting at the entryway to South America, the ancient land of Colombia is rich with unusual species of wildlife, plants and flowers – many that the rest of the world had never seen before. It's also the land of a thousand rhythms with all kinds of music and dance born from the unique mixture of Spanish, African and Indigenous cultures. Remember Shakira and her dance moves? Yup, she's Colom...

This is part 2 of our 2-part series on Belarus. Belarus is an Eastern European country known for its Soviet architecture, big trucks and tractors, world-renowned artist Marc Chagall and the winter sport biathlon where you ski and shoot. In Part 1, we delved into life in this Eastern European country and how it developed after the fall of the Soviet Union. In this episode, we’ll meet a few famous B...

Belarus is an Eastern European country known for its Soviet architecture, big trucks and tractors, world-renowned artist Marc Chagall and the winter sport biathlon where you ski and shoot. In this 2-part series on Belarus, we take a look at this Post-Soviet country’s past and present. In part 1, we hear from our guest Benny, a software engineer based in the capital city Minsk, what it's like t...

This is part 2 of our 2-part series on Dubai. Situated in the Arabian Peninsula, Dubai emerged out of the desert just a couple of decades ago and turned itself into something completely unrecognizable and one of the richest places on Earth. My guest for this series is Ranjeeta, a writer who moved to Dubai five years ago from India.  In Part 1, we delved into life in this cosmopolitan city and how...

Situated in the Arabian Peninsula, Dubai emerged out of the desert just a couple of decades ago and turned itself into something completely unrecognizable and one of the richest places on Earth. Today, it’s known for luxury and for being the most cosmopolitan city in the world where 9 out of 10 residents are expats. In this 2-part series on Dubai, we have Ranjeeta, a writer who moved to the city f...

This is part 4 of our 4-part series on India. My guest for this series is my new friend Moh, who was born in a prominent political and business family in west India in a province called Gujarat. In part 3, we delved into India’s social classes and the caste system. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t already. Today, we’re looking at politics in India. Will the relation between Hindus and Muslim...

This is part 3 of our 4-part series on India. My guest for this series is my new friend Moh, who was born in a prominent political and business family in west India in a province called Gujarat. Today, we’re looking at India’s social classes and the caste system. How big is the gap between the rich and poor? And will the caste system ever go away?   *****LINKS***** Episode blog post: ⁠ ⁠⁠https://w...

This is part 2 of our 4-part series on India. In Part 1, we delved into my new friend Moh’s childhood growing up in a large and influential Gujarati family. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t already. Today, we’re looking at India’s wedding and arranged marriage traditions. What’s the right size for a wedding in India and what are some common gifts? Why is arranged marriage so successful and w...

Today we’re looking at one of the oldest and most exciting places in the world: India. My new friend Moh is our guest for this 4-part series. He was born in a prominent political and business family in west India in a province called Gujarat. His family owns a famous bakery business there and Moh is a professional pastry chef.   In Part 1, we take you inside Moh’s childhood and the life of the ric...

Welcome to Culture Atlas, a podcast covering the culture, lifestyle and people of all 195 countries of our world. Each episode, you're introduced to a country by a person from there. The guests you meet and the stories you hear will warm your heart and open up your mind to help you better understand our world and its people. *****LINKS***** Podcast website: cultureatlas.world Stay in touch: @c...