5 Themes of Geography

Why study the 5 themes? They are a way to categorize and analyze

The world’s people The world’s physical features The world’s resources

EVERY PLACE IN THE WORLD CAN BE CATEGORIZED INTO EACH OF THE FIVE THEMES!!

I. LOCATIONTells us where a point is on the Earth’s surface. It also tells us how far a point is from other points.

A. Relative = describes locations in relationship to other locations.

Ex: “It’s about 45 minutes from here.”

“ My Aunt Batty lives 15 miles south of Chicago.”

The aliens are landing right over there by the radishes.

*There are two different types of location: Relative and Absolute*

LOCATION B. Absolute =

It is precise, describes the location of one place using an address or latitude and longitude.

Example 1: Baghdad is located at 33 N Latitude and 44 E Longitude.

Example 2: Street Addresses

(2400 Cozy Hill Circle)

PLACETells us special features an area might have using physical and human characteristics

1. Physical Geography:Types of landforms,

bodies of water, climate weather, natural

vegetation, natural resources.

2. Human GeographyHow the people live, work,

play, and move around.

PLACE

Are these pictures human or physical

geography and why? What are other

examples of each?

Human Environment Interaction:How people react to and sometimes change their

environment People depend on their environment!

1. Water

2. Minerals

3. Lumber

H.E.I. B. People modify their

environment! 1. They build

homes, freeways, golf courses, etc.2. Sometimes it can be destructive.

H.E.I. C. People adapt to their environment!

1. Clothing changes with seasons.

2. Air conditioners and misting systems make Las Vegas more tolerable.

Positive & Negative Human Environment Interaction:

Positive’s: Planting a tree Recycling Preserving nature

Negative’s: Smog Cutting down trees Being wasteful

MOVEMENT:describes how people, products, and ideas get from one place to another. A. Transportation

ex: trains

trucks

airplanes

MOVEMENT B. What kinds of things move in and out

of a place?

1. Products

2. Ideas: clothing styles, religion, food, language, political thought, newspaper stories, etc.

REGIONS:areas of the earth that are alike in some way or other.

1. Regions based on physical characteristics:coastal areas, deserts, mountain ranges,forests

REGIONS 2. Human Characteristics

ex:

Beliefs

Language

REGIONS B. Regions can change over time

Regions can be based on cultural features: languages, religions, culture.

Example:

Neighborhoods shift from one ethnic group to another.