What in the
World is
Geography?
Hint: Pretty Much Everything
5 Themes of Geography
(These help us describe every single place on Earth)
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Location
Place
Region
Movement
Human-Environment Interaction
Location
• Absolute Location
– Exact spot on Earth
– Described with Latitude and Longitude
• Relative Location
– Described in relation to another place (ex.
Directions)
Place
• Answers the question: “What is it like
there?”
– Physical Characteristics
• Terrain, weather, rural vs. urban, plant life,
etc.
– Cultural Characteristics
• Languages spoke, how they dress, what types
of music, what sort of transportation they
use, etc.
Region
• How is a place similar or different from other
places?
– This is the best way to know if places are in the
same region or different regions
– Can be Physical or Cultural Regions
– We are in a physical region of the Coastal Plains, and a cultural
region that is “The South,” or even “Cajun Country.”
– Cultural Regions usually overlap one another
Types of Regions
• Formal Region
– Defined by close proximity and similar cultures (ex. US
and Canada for several reasons)
• Functional Region
– Defined because of how they interact together
• Big Metropolitan areas and surrounding communities
• Perceptual Region
– Defined by how they are “viewed.”
• A good example is “The West” in the media
Human-Environment Interacion
• This is defined by how people relate to the
physical world around them (or better yet,
how we use what the world give us).
• Any way that humans use natural things on
Earth, or any way that humans change the
Earth can be in this category.
• What are some examples?
Movement
• How people, ideas, and products
move from one place to another.
– Everything comes from somewhere
else before it gets to you.
• Distance
– Linear – How far you travel across the
Earth
– Time – How long it takes you to cover
that distance
– Psychological – How long it feels like
it takes