How are religion and culture connected

Consider the rise and fall of great civilizations in South and East Asia like the Indus River Valley civilization, the Deccan and Tamil kingdoms, the Maurya and Gupta empires, and the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties of ancient China. You will consider these questions:

What do all of these civilizations have in common?

How did geographic factors help shape each civilization, and each developed distinct elements of culture, including religious and philosophical belief systems?​