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Unit 1: Introduction to Geography

Lesson 1: The Five Themes of Geography

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What is Geography?

• Geography– Literally means “___________________”– It is a way of thinking about and analyzing the

earth’s surface, physical patterns, and human occupation.

• Geographers are people who _________________________________– Perspective

• 5 themes of geography– Methods/tools

• Cartography• Maps

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The five themes of geography• _____________________

– Where is it?

• _____________________– What is it like there?

• ______________________– How are people and places connected?

• _______________________________– What is the relationship between people and their

environment?

• ______________________– How do we classify?

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Location• Three Types

– ___________________________• By name

– Windsor Pointe is a subdivision in Sugar Grove

– ____________________________• By Site and Situation

– Elburn is East of Maple Park

– ____________________________• By Spatial Coordinates

– Houston, Texas, for example, is located at latitude 29° north, longitude 95° west

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Relative Location

• Location of a place in relation to that of _____________________

• Always use a ____________________ when reporting relative location

• Example– KHS is South of KMS– Sugar Grove is West of Aurora– The United States is North of Mexico

Location• Let’s try some examples!!

• Nominal:

• __________________________________

• Relative:

• __________________________________

• Absolute: (Use pg. RA19)• Alexandria, Egypt: ____________________________________

• Monrovia, Liberia: ____________________________________

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Site & Situation

• Site– refers to physical

characteristics, such as climate, soil type or elevation.

• Site Example– Elburn has rich

topsoil– Winters in Northern

Illinois is dry and cold

• Situation– refers to access to

landmarks or transportation, such as proximity to the White House or to Main Street.

• Situation Example– Sugar Grove has quick

access to major transportation arteries

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Check for Understanding

Relative Location Activity

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Absolute Location

• ________________________ on the globe• Grid system

– Network of imaginary lines around the earth– Two sets of lines encircle the globe

• ________________________• ________________________

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Latitude (Parallels)• Parallel lines of latitude are

horizontal, running from ________________

• ___________________ is the imaginary line from which latitude is measured; 0-90– equidistant from the poles,

dividing the globe into the northern and southern hemispheres.

• lines of latitude become progressively shorter as they near the _____________

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Longitude (Meridians)

• Longitudinal lines run from _____________________

• The ______________________ is an arbitrarily selected line from which all of the others are measured – 0-180

• Each individual vertical line intersects both poles

• Lines of Longitude converge as they near the poles

• Divide the globe into Eastern & Western Hemispheres

• All of the lines of longitude are the same length.

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Just in Case you wanted to know

• Each degree of latitude and longitude is divided into 60 minutes

• Each minute is further divided into 60 seconds.

• Navigators measure distance in nautical miles– an internationally agreed-on standard

equaling the average length of one minute of one degree, or 1,852 m (6,076 ft).

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How do Geographers express absolute location

• Parallels of latitude north of the equator, which lies at 0°, are identified as north, and those south of the equator are identified as south.

• The North Pole lies at latitude 90° north,

• The South Pole, at latitude 90° south.

• By international agreement, the prime meridian lies at 0° longitude.

• Meridians of longitude– East of the prime

meridian are designated as east

– west of the prime meridian are identified as west.

On maps directions are abbreviated as N, S, E, and W.

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Check for Understanding

Absolute Location Activity

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Place

• What kind of place is it? 

• Places have both ___________________ and ________________________ characteristics, as well as images.

– The image people have of a place is based on their experiences, both intellectual and emotional. 

– People's descriptions of a place reveal their values, attitudes, and perceptions.

• How do these characteristics shape our lives?

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Physical Characteristics• Physical characteristics include ____________________________________________

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Human Characteristics

• Places have human characteristics also.  These characteristics are derived from the ideas and actions of people that result in changes to the environment, such as buildings, roads, clothing, and food habits.

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Movement

• The movement of people, the import and export of goods, and mass communication have all played major roles in shaping our world. 

• People everywhere interact.

• _________________________– Reliance on each other for goods,

services, and ideas near and far

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Human Environmental Interaction• Human Environmental

Interaction is how ____________________________• Humans interact with

nature every day.• Humans react differently

to everything they live near.

• There are three ways that humans interact with nature:– Humans depend on the

environment for life– Humans modify nature– Humans adapt to nature.

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Humans must be cautious of overexploitation

Poor Farming

Techniques

Uncontrolled Air Pollution

Deforestation

Unregulated Waste Desertification

Strip mining

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Region• Location and place are tied together by

____________________.

• Regions are relative locations that are brought together by certain ____________

____________________________

• These unifying characteristics often influence:– what kinds of people inhabit these regions– how humans interact with their environment– how they build their cities– how they use the land

• Unifying characteristics can be both physical and human.

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Unifying Characteristics

• ________________ characteristics include such things as mountain ranges, deserts, rivers, climates, and landforms.

• _________________ characteristics include language, religious beliefs, and political attitudes.

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Review

• What is Geography?

• What are the reasons for being geographically informed?

• Why do we study geography?

• What are the five themes of geography?