The Five Themes of Geography

National Geography Standards

5 Themes of Geography

• Location – Where is it?

• Place – What is it like?

• Human-environment interaction– How do people relate to the physical world?

• Region– How are places similar or different?

• Movement– How do people, goods, ideas, etc get

from one place to another?

Location

Human-environment interaction

MovementRegion

Place

5 Themes of Geography

• Location– Absolute location– Relative location– Answers the question “where?”

The equator in Ecuador

• Region– Area with uniform

characteristics• Climate, language

5 Themes of Geography

5 Themes of Geography

• Human-earth relationships– How humans interact with the

natural environment– Effects humans have on

environment– Effects the environment

has on humans

• Movement– Across the earth’s surface– Includes:

• Communications• Transportation• Circulation• Diffusion

5 Themes of Geography

• Place– Characteristics make

each place unique– No place is exactly the

same as another

5 Themes of Geography