The Five Themes of Geography:
1. Location – Absolute & Relative
Mr. Hare

Five Themes of Geography
• Location – Where is it?
• Place – What’s it like?
• Region – How are places similar or different?
• Human-Environment Interaction – How do people relate to the physical world?
• Movement – How do people, goods, and ideas move from one location to another?

Vocabulary
Absolute Location – the exact place on earth where a geographic feature is found

Vocabulary
Relative Location – describes a place in comparison to other places around it

Vocabulary
great circle route – an imaginary line that follows the curve of the Earth and represents the shortest distance between two points

Vocabulary
map projection – a mathematical formula used to represent the curved surface of the Earth on the flat surface of a map

Vocabulary
Scale - Shows proportional relationships between map measurements and actual distance

Vocabulary
Global Positioning Systems – a navigational system that can determine absolute location by using satellites and receivers on Earth

Vocabulary
Geographic Information Systems – computer programs that process and organize details about places on Earth and integrate those details with satellite images and other pieces of information

Vocabulary
Remote sensing – the science of obtaining information about an object or an area from a distance, typically from instruments in aircraft or satellites

Five Themes of Geography
• Location – “Where is it?”
– Absolute Location – the exact place on earth where a geographic feature is found

Five Themes of Geography
• Location – “Where is it?”
Western
Hemisphere
Eastern
Hemisphere

Northern
Hemisphere
Southern
Hemisphere

15°N, 15°W

15°S, 15°E

Five Themes of Geography
• Location – “Where is it?”
– Absolute Location – the exact place on earth where a geographic feature is found
• What is the absolute location of Denton?
– 33°N, 97°W
• What is the absolute location of Sydney, Australia?
– 33°S, 151°E

Five Themes of Geography
• Location – “Where is it?”
– Absolute Location – the exact place on earth where a geographic feature is found
– What is located at 40.6893°N, 74.0446°W?
» Statue of Liberty
– What is located at 41.8902°N, 12.4923°E?
» Roman Colosseum
– What is the absolute location of London Bridge in London, England?
» 51.5081°N, 0.0878°W
– What is the absolute location of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt?
» 29.972°N, 31.1342°E

Five Themes of Geography
• Location – “Where is it?”
– Relative Location – describes a place in comparison to other places around it

North
West Cardinal
Directions
East
South

Southwest
Northwest
Northeast
Intermediate
Directions
Southeast

Five Themes of Geography
• Choose five of the following cities:
Manila, Philippines Istanbul, Turkey
Tokyo, Japan
London, England
Mexico City, Mexico
New York City
St. Petersburg, Russia Cape Town, South Africa
Shanghai, China Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Describe the absolute location of each:
– In which hemispheres is each city located?
– What is the approximate longitude and latitude of each city?
• Describe the relative location of each:
– Use cardinal or intermediate directions to describe the location of each city in relation to a country, city, or ocean.