Social Studies Unit 2 – Five Themes of Geography
The 5 Themes
The 5 Themes allow us to organize information about our world
Place
Place – physical and human characteristics of an area
Physical: climate, shape of the land
Human: how many people, what do the people do
How to use Place
What do you see?
Natural features
Vegetation/Animal life
Describe:
The people
Clothing, homes, ways of life
The climate
Location
Location – specific or general positioning on the earth
Specific – 1107 South 7th Street
General – by Expressway Avenue in south Bismarck
Absolute or Relative
Absolute location – place’s exact position on the earth
47°N, 101°W
Relative location – explains where a place is by describing places near it
about 200 miles west of Fargo
east of Mandan
Applying Absolute and Relative Location
Describe where you live using both Absolute and Relative location
Absolute:______________________________________________
Relative:_______________________________________________
How to use Location
Where is it?
Far away or close
Using directions
Can you give its absolute or relative location?
Human-Environment Interaction
Human-Environment Interaction – how people affect the environment and how the environment
affects people’s lives
Affecting Each Other
This theme deals with the relationship between people and where they live
How do people survive there?
What are the consequences of people’s actions on the environment?
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How to use Human-Environment Interaction
Effects of humans:
How are people using the land?
What have people built on the land?
Effects of the environment:
How has the weather or climate affected life here?
Movement
Movement – the way people, ideas, and goods travel from place to place
Movement of People
Population – total number of people in a given area
Populations change as people move from place to place
Different means of transportation allow people to move
Movement of People – The World’s Population
The planet’s population has been growing exponentially
1960 – 3 billion
2000 – 6 billion
Now – over 7 billion
2050 – 10 billion?
Movement of People – Population Clock
Today’s approximate population:___________________________________
*Approximate population on ________(Date):________________________
Movement of People – Migration & Immigration
Migration – moving from one place to another
Migrants – people who do this
Immigration – moving from one country to another
Immigrants – people who do this
Movement of People – Why People Migrate
“Push-Pull” theory – describes why people migrate; people migrate because things in their lives “push”
them to leave, and certain things in a new place “pull” them
Movement of People – “Push-Pull” Theory at Work
PUSH
PULL
__________________________
___________________________
__________________________
___________________________
What other “Push-Pull” factors can you think of?
_____________________________________________________________________
Movement of Ideas
As people move, they bring their own ideas and culture to their new home
Culture – language, religious beliefs, values, customs, and other ways of life shared by a group of
people
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Movement of Goods
People must obtain goods that they do not have in their natural environment
Export – to sell to another place
Import – to buy from another place
How to use Movement
People:
Where and why are people moving?
How are they getting there?
Ideas:
How is culture represented here?
Goods:
What do the people need to import or export here?
Region
Region – areas of the world that have common characteristics
Region – what’s in common?
Places can be grouped together in many ways
Landscape or Climate
Language
Population
Urban – having to do with cities
Rural – having to do with the countryside
Region – More than one way to classify
North Dakota could be classified as part of the Midwestern U.S. region geographically
Or it could be classified with other states based upon population, culture, etc.
How to use Region
What types of characteristics does this place share with other areas?
Is this place urban or rural?
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