THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

LOCATION -- Absolute and Relative

REGION

PLACE

MOVEMENT

HUMAN ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION

Modify or Adapt

In order to properly destroy the Earth, Marvin needs to study the Five Themes of Geography.

Follow along and take notes.

Five Themes Rap

Every place on Earth has an absolute and relative location.

Absolute location can be longitude and latitude

Absolute location can be a street address, or even….

LOCATION ANSWERS “WHERE IS IT?”

Exactly where you live

Taken to the extreme, it can be as detailed as where you are sitting.

RELATIVE LOCATION

ANSWERS “WHERE IS IT” IN RELATION TO ANOTHER LOCATION YOU MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH.

Where would you find the “Creole” apartments?

Just a few blocks north of the Galleria.

How would you tell someone where the closest Target was?

Could you tell me how to find Buffalo, Texas?

About 130 miles north of Houston on

I-45, or….

About 2 ½ hours north of Houston on

I-45.

Place

What’s it like? (Think What’s it like? (Think about landscape/physical about landscape/physical features, environment, features, environment, culture/human imprintculture/human imprint

What is unique about these locations? Where would their “place” be?

PLACE

Place Place List some ways the List some ways the landscape/climatelandscape/climateenvironment/ makes environment/ makes HoustonHouston unique unique

1.

2.

List some unique List some unique cultural cultural characteristics of characteristics of HoustonHouston..

1.

2.

Human Environment Interaction

Changing or adapting

Human- Environment InteractionHuman- Environment Interaction

How do people adapt to, or change/modify their environment?

How do we in Houston adapt to our environment?

Human Environment Interaction

How do we modify/change our environment?

Houston Ship Channel

Smog in Chicago

H.E.I. example for HoustonH.E.I. example for Houston

List 2 ways we List 2 ways we MODIFYMODIFY the the environment of environment of HoustonHouston

11 22

List 2 ways List 2 ways Houstonians Houstonians ADAPT ADAPT TOTO our environment our environment

11 22

Movement

MovementMovementHow people, goods, and ideas move?

People and goods travel on roads and freeways.

MOVEMENTOf goods and people.

MOVEMENT – How do ideas move?

Technology has continually improved our ability to communicate ideas across the globe.

Why do people move?

Push factors:

Push people away.

Wars, famine, lack of jobs, climate, etc.

Pull factors:

Pull people towards.

Opportunities, jobs, climate, etc.

When dealing with movement, there are two types we deal with.

Linear movement – movement in distance. How far is it from here to there in miles, feet etc…

In a small town, you might tell someone it is four miles to the next gas station.

In Houston, how do you tell someone how far it is to the Galleria? We use time. How would you tell someone how far away the Galleria is from here on a Sunday?

During rush hour? This is “time” or “physiological” distance.

An area that has unifying characteristics (an area with something in common.)

What would you call the “region” we live in?

1.

2.

3.

4.

REGION

END

The Five Themes of Geography can be used to explain and identify virtually every space on the planet.

RegionsAn area in the landscape that links places together using any parameter the geographer chooses.

An area that has something in common.

There is no set size for a “region.”

Functional regions – A functional region has a center point, or, a “node.”

The function of the region is most intense at the center but lose their characteristics or importance the further the distance from the focal point.

Why don’t we shop at Baybrook Mall in Clear Lake?

While it is the primary mall for the Clear Lake “region,” it is too far away and thus we are out of its “functional region.”

Distance decay

REGIONSREGIONS

FUNCTIONAL

Travel areas to shopping and work

Crossroads This Week is a community newspaper serving an approximately 4,000 square mile area northwest of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.

Functional Regions

Vermont public radio classical radio stations

Perceptual regions

Everyone knows roughly where they are, though there are no defined boundaries.

Where do most of us live?

Who is the mayor, or, where is the city hall or downtown Cypress?

Most people know where Cypress or Cy-Fair is, but, we are not a city and don’t even have a “city limits” sign.

Perceptual regions-these reflect human attitudes and feelings. They are subjective.

Where does the “South” begin and end?

Where is the “Southwest?”

REGIONS – PERCEPTUAL REGIONS – PERCEPTUAL (VERNACULAR)(VERNACULAR)

REGIONS – PERCEPTUAL REGIONS – PERCEPTUAL (VERNACUALAR)(VERNACUALAR)

REGIONS - FORMALREGIONS - FORMALFormal regions have defined boundaries.

Parishes (counties) of Louisiana

Formal regions “get a sign.”

You know when you enter, you know when you leave.

Identify the functional and formal regions found on this map.

McDonalds restaurants are functional regions with loose areas where people will go to one or two restaurants.

The formal regions would be Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia, as well as each city.

Think about your school commons. Are there “regions” that certain people always eat in?

Would these be formal, perceptual, or functional regions?

Take a sheet of paper. Lay out the Cy-Woods commons and label the “regions” where people sit. (make certain not to use offensive language)-topics to consider: smart people, jocks, teachers, AP’s, band, ethnic groups, guys, girls, freshmen, sophomores, etc…

Are there differences? Compare and contrast.

Have several students discuss or draw on the board where their ideas of the regions are in the commons.