Cultural geography examines the relationship between culture and the landscape. Culture consists of shared meanings, ideas, and material and institutional practices passed down through generations. Major elements of culture include ideas like beliefs, languages, and codes; materials like clothing, houses, and domesticated plants; and institutions like religious organizations, governments, and families. Cultural traits and complexes help define cultural groups, though cultural identity can be complex. Cultural regions are shaped by the direct and indirect influence of culture on the landscape through patterns of agriculture, settlement, architecture, and other human modifications to the environment.