The Five Themes of Geography
Location

Position of something on the earth’s surface:
1. Absolute Location:
The latitude and longitude of an area.
Example: San Francisco is 37° N. lat and 122°W. long.
2. Relative Location:
Where something is in relation to something else.
Examples: Maps in the dirt
Written or verbal directions (Map quest)
Region

What places in close proximity (close by)
each other have in common.

They must be by each other!


California and Florida are both warm and sunny, but they
are not in the same region!
Can share climate, natural resources, job
markets, language, and others.
Human-Environment Interaction

How human beings change the environment
in which they live in.





People are dependant on the environment (air,
water, fish, and animals.)
We cannot help but change where we live.
This area would be a woodland if we weren’t here,
does it look like that?
What would Las Vegas look like if people weren’t
there?
Buildings, pollution, agriculture in dry areas.
Before
After
Place

The physical and human features of an area.
(The recipe to make up an area)

Types of physical features:





Animals
Plants
Soil
Climate
Natural resources
of the area
Types of human features:





Population
Cultures of the population
Ethnicity
Language
Religion
What details for place
can you give here?
-Fish
-Warm
-Caucasian people
Movement
 One place can influence another through the
movement of people, materials, and ideas.
Explores changed the world when they came to the United
States. How?
Imports/exports bring over new cultures, food, and ideas.

C
h
i
n
a
t
o
w
n
E
x
p
o
r
t
s
Quiz: Get out a sheet of paper!
How do I get to the the post office from
here?
The elementary school is next to the
Administration Building.
Traverse City sits on the Bay.
Where are the scissors?
These are all examples of what?
What theme does this best represent?
Which geography theme is
represented here?
Which theme is best represented by the given
statistics?
Population: 1,469
Median Family Income: $37,875
State Average: $53,457
2003-04 Graduation Rate:
89.90%
State Average: 90.70%
2006 Population by Sex
Male 50.9% Female 49.1%
Races in Kingsley:
White, not Hispanic
Hispanic
American Indian 1.5%
Two or more races
Other races
96.2%
1.8%
.9%
.7%
Which theme does this represent?
Clear cutting
Oil spills
Name two states in that are regional to Michigan and
list something they have in common.
Poster
1. Define Theme
 2. Picture of that Theme in History
