The Five Themes of
Geography
Cape Town, South Africa
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The Five Themes of
Geography
1. LOCATION: Most geographic
studies begin with learning the
location of a place. Location can
be absolute or relative.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Relative location describes a place
with respect to its environment and
its connection to other places.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Relative Location: South Africa is located at the southern
most tip of Africa. South Africa shares a border with
Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Cape Town is a city in
South Africa located at the southern most point of the
country in the Western Cape State.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Absolute location provides a
definite reference to locate a
place. The reference can be
latitude and longitude or a
street address.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Absolute Location: Cape Town, South Africa is
located 33° 55', south (latitude) of the equator
and 18° 27', east of the meridian (longitude).
The Five Themes of
Geography
2. PLACE: Place describes
the human and physical
characteristics of a
location.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Human Characteristics: Humandesigned cultural features of a place;
land use, architecture, forms of
livelihood, religion, food,
transportation, and communication
networks.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Human Characteristics: Cape Town was founded by the
Dutch. Dutch cultural can still be seen in the
architecture.
African tribal and Dutch culture have blended in Cape
Town's food and religion. Both cultures still exist in the
cities livelihoods.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Physical Characteristics:
mountains, rivers, beaches,
animal life, and plant life
The Five Themes of
Geography
Physical Characteristics: Mountains include Table Mountain.
Beaches include Camp's Bay, Clifton, and Hout Bay. Cape Town's
diverse animal life includes Penguins and Sharks. Cape Town
has a Mediterranean climate with an abundance of plant life.
The Five Themes of
Geography
3. HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT
INTERACTION: How humans adapt to
and modify the environment. Humans
shape the landscape through their
interaction with the land; this has both
positive and negative effects on the
environment.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Human-Environment Interaction: Positive
effect on the land has been the cultivation of
vineyards and farms.
Negative effect on the land has been that
many native animal species have been forced
to relocate.
The Five Themes of
Geography
4. MOVEMENT: Humans move, a lot!
In addition, ideas, fads, goods,
resources, and communication all
travel distances. This theme studies
movement and migration across the
planet.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Movement: The KhoSan people of Northern Africa were the first
people in Southern Africa, 2,000 BC. Later the Bantu tribes of
Northern and Western Africa migrated to the Cape, 4th Century AD.
These tribes included the Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele, and Tswana.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Movement: The Dutch began migrating to Cape Town in 1652. These
Dutch farmers were called Boers. Later they developed the Afrikaans
language and now this large population in Cape Town is called
Afrikaners. The Dutch migration is still widely visible in all aspects of
culture in the Cape, from food to architecture.
The Five Themes of
Geography
5. REGION: Defined by their connections.
Vernacular regions are perceived regions,
such as "The South," "The Midwest," or the
"Middle East;" they have no formal
boundaries but are understood in our mental
maps of the world.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Vernacular Region: Cape Town is part of the
Western Cape Provence. It is also part of the
region of Southern Africa.