The 5 Themes of Geography

What is Geography?The word “geography” comes from the Greek word geographia, meaning “to describe the earth.”

Modern GEOGRAPHY is the study of the distribution and interaction of physical and human features on the earth.

5 Themes of Geography• Location• Place• Movement• Human-Environment Interaction• Region

LOCATIONAsks the question, “Where is it?”

RELATIVE LOCATION – Gives a general idea of where something is.

ABSOLUTE LOCATION – Gives a pinpoint, exact location

Relative Location

North Dakota is located in the northern part of the continental

United States.

Absolute Location

Places can be

pinpointed exactly using

latitude and longitude.

PLACEAsks the question, “What is it like?”

This includes both the physical features and cultural characteristics of a location. Things like climate, vegetation, landforms, and human interaction would all be things that describe “place”.

MOVEMENTAsks the question, “How do people, goods, and ideas move from one location to another?”Linear DistanceTime DistancePsychological Distance

• Linear Distance simply means how far a person, idea, or product has to travel.

• Time Distance refers to how long it takes to get there.

• Psychological Distance refers to how people view distance. Studies show that the more familiar we become with a place, we think it is closer.

Linear Distance can be affected by barriers such as rivers, mountains, or oceans. Time Distance has been greatly influenced by modern inventions. In the 1840s, traveling from New York to California took 6 months. It now takes under 6 hours. Psychological Distance may influence decisions about many different human activities.

Across the world, people make important choices based on Linear, Time, and

Psychological Distances.

Have you ever noticed how getting to a place seems to take longer than going back?

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION

Asks the question, “How do people relate to their physical world?”

People learn to use what the environment offers them. They can either change the environment to fit their needs, or they can live with the aspects they cannot control.

Lower Manhattan in

the 1660s, just before the

British took it from the Dutch. Notice where modern-day

Wall Street is.

New York City August 2001

Notice the growth outward from

lower Manhattan.

REGIONAsks the question, “How are places similar or different?”

Regions are areas of earth with similar characteristics, such as physical, political, economic, or cultural.

The “Traditional” Four Regions of the United States

Regions may

also be divided

into sub-

regions.

Some regions of Utah

This map divides Utah

into 6 Regions:

The WestWasatch FrontThe NortheastThe Central

Canyon CountryDixie

The 30 teams of Major League Baseball

The 30 Teams of the NBA

The 32 Teams of the NFL