5 Themes of geography
What are the five themes?
Tools geographer’s use to study
features on earth.
– Location
– Place
– Movement
– Region
– Human Environment Interaction
Location
Describes where places are on earth.
Types of Location:
– ABSOLUTE: exact location on earth (fixed)
• Doesn’t change
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Latitude/Longitude
Hemispheres
Grid System
Address
– RELATIVE: compared to other places (variable)
• Changes dependent upon where you’re comparing it to.
– Miles
– Distance
– Direction
Absolute Location
Examples:
– Rome is located at 41 N, 12 E
– Argentina is located in the southern
hemisphere
– Ecuador is located in Tropic of Cancer.
Relative Location
Examples:
– Rome is located near the Mediterranean
Sea.
– Argentina is near Brazil.
– Ecuador is south of Mexico.
– Lincoln is 50 miles from Omaha.
Place
A place is defined by it’s unique
characteristics.
– Physical characteristics
– Cultural characteristics
Physical Characteristics
Specific to THAT place, not generic.
– The way a place looks.
Created by nature.
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Mountains
Rivers, Lakes, Seas
Climate
Vegetation
Examples:
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Andes Mountains are in South America.
Amazon River flows through Brazil.
Pampas are located in Argentina.
The isthmus of Panama connects Central & South America.
Cultural Characteristics
Specific to THAT place, not generic.
– Peoples activities change the way a place looks or is
represented.
Man-made or invented.
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Language
Unique buildings
Religious Practices
Celebrations/traditions/holidays
Examples:
– Portuguese is the official language of Brazil.
– Many Mexicans are Catholic.
– Mayan ruins are located in Mexico.
Movement
Places do not exist in isolation.
– Interconnectedness of the world changes the way
places “look”.
• Today: “globalization”
– People, goods & ideas move from place to place.
Examples
– Immigration from Latin America to US.
– War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people)
– MySpace, Facebook, Twitter (ideas)
Region
The world is divided into different regions
based upon similarities & differences.
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Climate
Location
Beliefs
Languages
Ethnicity/Race
Types:
– Formal
– Functional
– Perceptual
Formal Region
Most common/familiar.
Determined by the distribution of a uniform
characteristic (physical or cultural)
– Location
– Climate
– Religion
Examples
– Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama)
– Latin America (Spanish-speaking nations)
– Tropics (countries located near equator)
Functional Region
Serves a purpose that affects places around
it.
– Distributes goods/people
– Serves specific purpose
Examples:
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Panama Canal
Amazon River Basin
Hollywood
Havana, Cuba
Perceptual Region
Groups of areas that provoke a certain
stereotype or feeling.
Examples:
– The Bronx
– The “ghetto”
– China town
HEI
The environment & people are
interconnected.
Consequences to those actions depend
upon how people choose to interact with
the world and use their resources.
– Positive/Negative
– Intentional/Accidental
– Favorable/Destructive
HEI
Current Environmental Issues:
– Climate Change (global warming)
– Energy Resources
– Water Conservation
– Deforestation
People and the Environment
Interaction
– important aspect of geography
– to get natural resources (mining logging)
– for pleasure (hiking or swimming)
– as simple as raising umbrella against rain
– as complex as planting trees to combat
erosion
Homework Assignment
Think about all the ways you interact
with the environment. Consider all the
ways people in your community interact
with it.
Write a 300 word blog that depicts
human environment interaction.
Be creative with your story. There has
to be at least 8 ways in which you
specifically describe human
El Paso Mosaic –
Due MONDAY
On a piece of unlined 8 1/2 x 11 inch
paper, draw a mosaic to illustrate the
five themes of geography as they relate
to El Paso.
– Put a title on your mosaic
– Divide the paper into five sections, the size
of each being relative to the importance
you place on the theme (i.e., the more
important the theme, the larger the section
or “tile”)
El Paso Mosaic –
Due MONDAY
– You may only use words to label each tile
with its theme.
– In each tile, draw something in El Paso that
relates to that theme.
– Your picture should clearly describe the theme.
– Be creative!
– This mosaic will be the title page of your
student notebook, so take care to do a
superlative job!
Check Website
– Rubric for Mosaic is on website
– This will help guide you in doing a good
job