THE 5 THEMES OF
GEOGRAPHY
1st Warm-up of the year! 
• Do Now:
• 1. What are 3 things that maps can help you
with? (Look at the maps around the room)
• 2. I am valuable information gathered at the
actual time of an event in history
_____________________________
• 3. A textbook and encyclopedia are examples of
• ________________________ sources
THE FIVE THEMES OF
GEOGRAPHY
•
•
•
•
•
Location
Place
Human-Environment Interaction
Movement
Regions
LOCATION
Where are we?
• Absolute Location
– Exact spot on the earth.
• Ex: latitude and longitude
• Ex: address
• Relative Location
– One location in relation
to another.
• Ex: My house is 25 miles
west of PDMS
• Ex: The USA is just north
of Mexico
PLACE
What is it like there, what kind of place is it?
• Human
• Physical
Characteristics
Characteristics
• What are the main
languages, customs, and
beliefs.
• How many people live,
work, and visit a place.
• Landforms (mountains,
rivers, etc.), climate,
vegetation, wildlife, soil,
etc.
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT
INTERACTION
• How do humans and the environment affect
each other?
– We affect the environment
• Ex: Clearing land for farms, houses, roads, etc.
– We use the environment
• Ex: Rivers for transportation, irrigation, food
– The environment affects us
• Ex: Our economy depends on what natural resources are available
• Ex: Natural disasters can destroy homes
• Our clothing often depends on the weather.
MOVEMENT
• How are people, goods, ideas moved from place
to place?
– Humans/Goods
• Trucks, Trains, Planes
– Information
• Phones, computer (email), mail
– Ideas (popular culture)
• TV, Radio, Magazines
REGIONS
• How are Regions similar to and different from other
places?
A. Physical Characteristics:
• Ex. Climate, landforms (the desert SouthWest, the peaks and valleys of the Rocky
Mountains, etc.)
B. Human Characteristics:
• Ex. Economic & political systems, social & political
Concerns (Quebec, the South, Scandinavia)
Remembering the 5 themes
• If you can’t remembering what they
are just ask MR. HELP!!!
• M – Movement
• R – Regions
• HE – Human Environment interaction
• L – Location
• P - Place