The Five Themes of
Geography
Theme 1: Location
• Where is It?
• Why is It There?
Two Types of
Location
•Absolute
•Relative
Relative Location
• Where a place is
in relation to
another place
• Uses directional
words to describe
– Ex: North, South,
East, and West
Indiana
• Indiana is bordered by Michigan
and Lake Michigan to the North,
Ohio to the East, Illinois to the
West, and Kentucky to the South.
• The Ohio river forms the Southern
edge of Indiana
• Indiana is one of the Midwest
states.
Absolute Location
•
•
•
•
Latitude and longitude
A specific place on the Earth’s surface
Uses a grid system
A global address
Indiana
Absolute Location
• New Jersey
40°N Latitude
86 W longitude
• Muncie
40.1933° N Latitude
85.3881° W Longitude
Positioning on the Earth’s Surface
East is the direction of
rotation of the Earth
North Pole
Prime Meridian
Latitude: (90oN to 90oS)
Longitude: (180oE to 180oW)
0o Longitude
Tropic of Cancer
21st June
22nd Sept
20th March
Equator
22nd December
Tropic of Capricorn
Longitude 90o West
Longitude 60o West
Longitude 30o West
Latitude 23½o North
oE
90
60o90
30
30
60
90
Wo
900
23½o
23½o
Latitude 0o
Latitude 23½o South
Longitude 90oEast
Longitude 60o East
Longitude 30o East
South Pole
Latitude and Longitude together enable the fixing of position on the Earth’s surface.
Theme 2: Place
• Place – The physical and human
characteristics of a place
Physical
• Mountains, plains, &
plateaus
• Land Features
• Climate
• Bodies of Water
New Jersey: Physical
Characteristics
Theme 2: Place
Human Characteristics
•
•
•
•
•
•
People
Culture
Language
Religion
Cities
Buildings and
Landmarks
Indiana: Human
Characteristics
Theme 3: Human
Environment
Interaction
How People Interact With Their
Environment and how the
environment is affected by people
People . . .
• Adapt to Their Environment
• Modify Their Environment
• Depend on Their Environment
http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/corbis/DGT119/BAG0017.jpg
Indiana: Human
Environment Interaction
Theme 4: Movement
• Transportation of
people, goods, and
ideas
• Migration and
immigration
• Trading partners,
imports/exports
Indiana: Movement
Theme 5: Regions
Grouping areas by what
places have in common
•
•
•
•
Political Regions
Landform Regions
Agricultural Regions
Cultural Regions
Indiana: Regions