5 Themes of

Geography

the study of the physical features of the earth, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations.

a.k.a.: geography is the study of the earth and

everything on it.

GEOGRAPHY is ….

GeographersGeographers organize space in the same way that historians organize time. To help organize space, geographers ask important questions about things in the world. These important questions are organized into the “5 themes of geography”:

• Movement: How and why are places connected with one another?

• Regions: How and why is one area similar to another?

• Human-Environment Interaction: What is the relationship between humans and their environment

• Location: Where is it located?• Place: What's it like there?

1. Movement: Movement refers to the way people, products, information and ideas move from one place to another. This can be local such as how did you get to school today, or it can be global such as how did humans get to North America?

The US Interstate Highway System

1. Movement:

2. Region:A region is an area that is defined by certain similar characteristics. Those unifying or similar characteristics can be physical, natural, human, or cultural.

2. Region: Physical characteristics

3. Human-Environment Interaction:Human-environment interaction looks at

the relationships between people and their environment.• How do people depend on the environment?

(Example: In the Midwest many families depend on farming grains such as corn.)

• How to people adapt to the environment? (Example: Because of the warmer climate in California, people wear shorts and lighter clothes.)

• How do people modify the environment? (Example: Mount Rushmore was built in South Dakota.)

3. Human-Environment Interaction: Humans depend on the environment

3. Human-Environment Interaction: Humans adapt to the environment

3. Human-Environment Interaction:• Humans modify the

environment

4. Location:Where is it?•Absolute: A location can be absolute (specific) as in coordinates of a map using longitude and latitude.

For example, the absolute location of Washington D.C. is 38° North, 77° West.

•Relative: A location can be relative - examples: next door, nearby, next to the post office…

For example, the state of Texas is south of Oklahoma.

4. Location:

5. Place: What makes this place different from other places on earth?• Physical characteristics include

bodies of water, climate, soil, animal life, land forms…

For example, the Mississippi River runs across the U.S.

• Human characteristics include bridges, houses, parks, population, language, religion…

For example, the White House, Capitol and Supreme Court building are all in Washington D.C.

5. Place: • Physical characteristics

5. Place: • Human characteristics

The 77 Continents

The 55 oceans

Western Hemisphere

Eastern Hemisphere

Northern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere