5 Themes of Geography
Geography
• Geography is the study of:
– People, the places they live, and how they all interact.
5 Themes
Location
Region
Place
5 themes
of
Geography
Movement
HumanEnvironment
Interaction
Location and Place
• Location gives a definite location
– Absolute or Relative locations
• Place - describes the human/ physical characteristics
– Describes mountains, rivers, deserts, etc.
– Ex. Ashburn is flat and heavily populated with few rivers.
It also has people from many different nations
• Location and place are different because…
– One describes WHERE you are
– The other describes WHAT your place is like
Human-Environment Interaction,
Movement, and Region
• Human-Environment Interaction
– Explains how humans adapt and modify their environment to better
suit their needs
– Ex. Air conditioning or leveling land for housing
• Movement looks at how and why humans move around the
world and what they bring with them
– Ex. Cultural diffusion and migration
• Regions are units of geographic study
– Formal regions- clearly defined regions (countries)
– Functional regions- defined by connections
• Ex. DC Metro Area – connected by the Beltway
– Vernacular regions- no formal boundaries, but known
• Ex. The Midwest or The South or Northern VA
NOW LETS SING ALONG TO
THE 5 Themes of Geography
Song!
I know you are super excited
Latitude & Longitude :
the Global Grid
• An imaginary grid of lines used to
find location
• Can be found on most maps
throughout the world
• It is a uniform measurement (all
countries use it)
LATITUDE
• Imaginary lines that run Across the earth
• Parallel - they never touch!!!
• They measure distance North or South of
the equator
LATITUDE
A = ACROSS !!!!!!!
FROM LEFT TO
RIGHT
• Remember - THEY ARE LONG
• Measure distance East or West
of the Prime Meridian
• Intersect above the North and
South Pole
• (Run Up & Down on a map) Usually!!!
Reading Latitude and Longitude
• When reading maps for location, you must use
latitude and longitude to locate your destination
• Latitude always comes first, then Longitude
– Ex. 40 N, 160 E or 27 S, 17 E
• Use the worksheets given to practice finding location
• Use the sheet to define and sketch the different
types of geographic features
Want another song?? If not too
bad
Types of Land Forms
Island – land area that is surrounded by water
Long Island
Archipelago – chain of islands
Hawaiian Islands
Cape – Narrow point of land that
extends into a body of water
Cape Cod, MA
Peninsula – piece of land that is
surrounded by water on three
sides
Florida
Hill – area of raised land that is
lower and more rounded than a
mountain
Hills
Acadia National Park
Maine
Mountain – high, steep,
rugged land that rises
sharply above the
surrounding land.
Mount McKinley, Alaska
Plain – broad area of fairly level
land that is generally close to sea
level
Plains
Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation
Wyoming
Plateau – large area of high,
flat, or gently rolling land
Bateke Plateau
Gabon, Africa
Desert – area that has little
or no moisture or
vegetation
Sahara Desert, Africa
Coast – land that
borders the sea
Jones Beach
Continent – any of seven large land masses on the Earth’s surface
Europe
North America
Africa
Asia
Sub-continent –
an area of land that is
part of a continent but
is separated by
something (landform,
language, etc.
India
Central (Latin)
America
South America
Australia
Antarctica
Isthmus – narrow strip of land
joining two large land areas or joining
a peninsula to a mainland.
Isthmus of Panama
Strait – narrow channel
that connects two larger
bodies of water
Strait of Gibraltar
Tributary – stream or small river that flows into a larger stream or river
tributary map of Lake Erie
River – large stream of water that empties into
an ocean, lake, or another river
Hudson and Mohawk Rivers
Bay – part of a body of water that is partly
enclosed by land
Jamaica Bay
Gulf – arm of an ocean or sea that is
partly enclosed by land, usually
larger than a bay.
Gulf of Mexico
Lake – body of fresh water
surrounded by land
Great Lakes
Sea – large body of salt
water that is smaller
than an ocean
Black Sea
Ocean – any of the large bodies of salt water on the Earth’s surface.
ArcticCOcean
Pacific
A
Ocean
Atlantic
B
Ocean
Indian
D
Ocean