Match the example with the theme of geography you would best guess go together
1) Location
a) Goods from China get shipped to the US
2) Place
b) Singapore is part of Southeast Asia
3) Human/Environment Interaction c) Atlanta, GA or 42N, 38E
4) Movement
5) Region
d) The rainforest has been cut down at an
alarming rate
e) Iraq is mainly a desert climate
5 Themes of Geography
1: Location (Where is it)
• Absolute Location: Refers to
Exact Spot on earth’s surface
(Think Longitude/Latitude)
• Relative Location: Tells where a
place is compared to one or more
places.
2. Place (What is it like?)
• Place Describes all the characteristics
that give an area its own special
quality.
• EXAMPLE: Physical features
(mountains, waterways, climate)
Human Characteristics (language,
religion, agriculture)
Let’s try it out
• As I show you a picture we will
come up with three “place”
characteristics.
• Then we will estimate a “relative
Location” of the picture. (To the
best of your knowledge using the
place characteristics for clues)
• Finally, I will give you the Absolute
Location.
Congo in Africa
Makao, Gabon (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Congo/@0.6605789,14.8965794,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x1a60a563dda31309:0x55017acf14fc6c8f
Photograph by Michael Nichols 1999
"To recruit his [first] team, Fay went to Makao, a Motaba
River village frequented by Bambendjellé [Pygmies] living
as they have for thousands of years—in a world ruled by
forest spirits such as Ekambo Deki, a hunting deity
‘captured’ at a forest camp and made to dance."
—From "The Green Abyss: Megatransect, Part Two,"
March 2001, National Geographic magazine
China: Qinghai
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4035034,96.2376978,6z
Facing the Future
A yak herder and his wife face an uncertain future. The
herder told me that he had once been nomadic, but now
his herd was confined to a piece of land by the
government. His yaks were dying because they were
overgrazing. Ten days after I shot this picture, the family
packed their possessions, gave their few remaining
yaks to a neighbor, and moved to Dawu
Rome, Italy “The Eternal City”
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8974395,12.7019094,9z
Italy certainly has plenty of charms to
tempt tourists and international students
alike: a diverse landscape including
mountains, islands and active volcanoes;
an immense cultural and historical
legacy; iconic historic and architectural
sites including Rome’s Colosseum and
the Pisa’s Leaning Tower; incomparable
cuisine; in addition, Rome has an
impressive history of inventions and
discoveries!
Cary, North Carolina
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cary,+NC/@35.7704365,78.8303084,7z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89acbd54ff4a8b43:0x44568fdb5a
444be1
Little Boxes in a Row
Photograph by Scott Lewis
If the neighborhoods in the 27513 zip code look
alike, it’s no coincidence. Nearly half the
residential area is within three master-planned
developments that incorporate homes, shops,
and green space. But there’s a trade-off in
suburbia. “I live on a cul-de-sac,” says Mayor
Glen Lang. “The grocery is only a thousand feet
[300 meters] from my door but a three-quartersof-a-mile [one-kilometer] drive. You can’t get
there from here.”
3. Human/Environment
Interaction
• How people interact with the
natural environment of a place.
• Adaptations to and changes to
the surrounding environment.
3. Human/Environment
Interaction..continued
• Human/environment interaction is how humans interact with
the environment and how the environment affects humans. One
example of how humans effect the environment in Las Vegas is
Lake Mead because Lake Mead is actually man-made by the
Hoover Dam. Pollution is another example of humans effecting the
environment. Not only pollution on the ground but also air pollution
from all the cars in the city. Humans affect the environment
by constructing a lot of buildings on the natural land, too. Those are
examples of how humans effect the environment.
•
Hmmm….
• What if your yard outside your home
never got touched? What would it look
like if you decided to let it “go natural”
4. Movement
• How people in one area relate to
people in different areas.
• How people, goods, and ideas move
from place to place.
Let’s try this!
• I will draw a t-chart
• Everyone look at the T-shirt tags of the
people sitting at your group.
• Where is it made?
• Fill in the T-chart with the data
• Are we dependent on other countries?
5. Region
• The common features that bring
geographical areas together.
• An area defined by a common
feature, can be physical feature
(mountains, rivers) or human
features (religion, language,
livelihood)
Regions of the US