THE 5 THEMES OF
GEOGRAPHY
THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
•Location
•Place
•Human-Environment Interaction
•Movement
•Regions
LOCATION
Where are we?
•Absolute Location
• A latitude and longitude (global
location) or a street address (local
location).
• Paris France is 48o North Latitude
and 2o East Longitude.
• The White House is located at 1600
Pennsylvania Ave.
•Relative Location
• Described by landmarks, time,
direction or distance. From one
place to another.
• Go 1 mile west on main street and
turn left for 1 block.
Latitude
We can imagine the Earth as a sphere,
with an axis around which it spins. The
ends of the axis are the North and
South Poles. The Equator is a line
around the earth, an equal distance
from both poles. The Equator is also
the latitude line given the value of 0
degrees. This means it is the starting
point for measuring latitude. Latitude
values indicate the angular distance
between the Equator and points north
or south of it on the surface of the
Earth.
Latitude lines are the X-axis. They
always come first. They can be given
in Degrees, Seconds, Minutes or
Decimal Points. Negative numbers
mean in the Southern Hemisphere.
Latitude lines = Parallel Lines
1 Degree is equal to about 69 miles
1 Minute is equal to 1.15 miles
1 Second is equal to .02 miles
(Can you convert to feet?)
Longitude
Lines of longitude, called meridians,
run perpendicular to lines of latitude,
and all pass through both poles. Each
longitude line is part of a great circle.
There is no obvious 0-degree point for
longitude, as there is for latitude.
Throughout history many different
starting points have been used to
measure longitude. By international
agreement, the meridian line through
Greenwich, England, is currently given
the value of 0 degrees of longitude;
this meridian is referred to as the
Prime Meridian. Longitude values are
indicate the angular distance between
the Prime Meridian and points east or
west of it on the surface of the Earth.
Longitude Lines are the Y- axis.
They can be given in Degrees, Seconds,
Minutes or Decimal Points. Negative
numbers mean in the Western
Hemisphere.
Longitude lines = Meridian Lines
1 Degree is equal to about
69 miles (equator)
49 miles (45 degrees Lat)
• Multiply decimal by 60 (60 * .6137)
• The whole number is the minute
• Multiply the remaining decimal by 60 – This will be the
second
• You try it with the Longitude
• What are Cardinal and Ordinal Directions?
• How would you write the coordinates for Boise without
Cardinal Directions?
• Try these numbers – Convert to degrees and tell me the city.
• (-22.9027800, -43.2075000)
• (41.8500300, -87.6500500)
• (-33.9166700, 18.4166700)
PLACE
What is it like there, what kind of place is it?
•Human
Characteristics
• What are the main languages,
customs, and beliefs.
• How many people live, work, and
visit a place.
•Physical
Characteristics
• Landforms (mountains, rivers, etc.),
climate, vegitation, wildlife, soil,
etc.
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT
INTERACTION
• How do humans and the environment affect each other?
• We depend on it.
• People depend on the Tennessee River for water and
transportation.
• We modify it.
• People modify our environment by
heating and cooling buildings for comfort.
• We adapt to it.
• We adapt to the environment by wearing
clothing suitable for summer (shorts) and
winter (coats), rain and shine.
MOVEMENT
• How are people, goods, ideas moved from place to place?
• Human Movement
• Trucks, Trains, Planes
• Information Movement
• Phones, computer (email), mail
• Idea Movement
• How do fads move from place to place?
TV, Radio, Magazines
REGIONS
• How are Regions similar to and different from other
places?
• Formal Regions
• Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries (States,
Countries, Cities)
• Regions defined by similar characteristics (Corn Belt, Rocky Mountain
region, Chinatown).
• Functional Regions
• Regions defined by a function (newspaper service area, cell phone
coverage area).
• Vernacular Regions (Not in your book)
• Regions defined by peoples perception (middle east, the south, etc.)
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
“Five Themes of Geography”
Flip-Chart
World Geography
Instructions:
1. Fold five sheets of paper over hamburger style so that it makes
layers.
2. Staple the top of the fold to hold the layers together.
3. Title the top cover with “The Five Themes of Geography”
4. On the top bottom right hand corner, write your name, period
and date.
5. Beginning with absolute and relative “Location,” label each one of
the layers on the bottom edge.
6. On the inside bottom describe the theme. Must include a well
written, and detailed explanation in simple terms the definition of
the term, and the sub- groups ( example: absolute and relative
location)
7. On the inside top (or bottom) draw an example of the theme.
(Repeat for all Five Themes)
Evaluation Guidelines:
A. Worth 100 points
B. Each theme is worth 20 points
C. Illustrations need to be neatly drawn and colored
D. Written descriptions need to be neatly typed or printed in black ink
and be a full explanation
E. Must use correct spelling and punctuation.
Due Date: September 6