5 Themes of Geography

1. 5 Themes of Geography Mr. Gingras

2. Geography • Geography is the study of the earth and the people on it • Because this is a large topic, geographers give us 5 Themes to start.

3. What are the five themes? • Tools geographer’s use to study features on earth. 1) Location 2) Place 3) Region 4) Movement 5) Human Environment Interaction

4. 1. Location • Location is where things are located on the earth. • 2 Types: • ABSOLUTE:exact location on earth. • Measured with latitude and longitude • Doesn’t change. • JMS: 42N, 71W • Tokyo, Japan: 35N, 139E • Cape Town, South Africa: 34S,18E • RELATIVE:location compared to other places • Changes dependent upon where you’re comparing it to • Rome is near the Mediterranean Sea. • The United States is North of Mexico. • Walpole is Southwest of Boston

5. Absolute Location • Examples: • JMS: 42N, 71W • Rome, Italy: 41N, 12E • Tokyo, Japan: 35N, 139E • Cairo, Egypt: 30N, 31E • Cape Town, South Africa: 34S,18E

6. Relative Location • Examples: • Rome is near the Mediterranean Sea. • The United States is North of Mexico. • Walpole is Southwest of Boston. • Norwood is Northeast of Walpole

7. 2. Place • Place: what a location is like • What human and physical characteristics make it different from all others? • Physical characteristics B) Human characteristics

8. Physical Characteristics • The way a location looks • Landforms, bodies of water, etc. specific to THAT place. • Created by nature. • Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, Seas. Climate, Vegetation • Examples: • The Andes Mountains of South America. • The Amazon River flows through Brazil. • The Pampas are located in Argentina.

9. Human Characteristics • What the people are like • All the ways to describe a person or people, including their way of life, values and beliefs specific to THAT place. • Man-made or invented. • Language, Buildings, Religious Practices, Celebrations, traditions • Examples: • Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. • Many Mexicans are Catholic. • Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico.

10. 3. Region • The world can be divided into different regions based on similarities. • This makes it easier to study and understand physical and human characteristics over large areas.

11. Physical Characteristics • Landforms, bodies of water and climate that cover a large area. • For example: • Mountain ranges • Coastal communities • “Tornado Alley” • The Northeast

12. Human Characteristics • The ways of life, values and beliefsof the people living in an area. • Examples: • Religion – Islamic regions • Economics – Poor neighborhoods • Language - Southern Accents • Race – The Asian population

13. 4. Movement • How people, goods, and ideas move from place to place. • People and places are linked together, especially in today’s world! (Globalization)

14. 4. Movement - examples • Movement of People: • Planes, Trains, Automobiles • Movement of ideas (communication) • The internet (Facebook, twitter, vine, pinterest and SO much more) • Phones (iMessage, text, facetime, etc.) • TV • Education • Movement of goods • Cargo ships, Freight trains, UPS

15. 5. Human Environment Interaction • People and the environment are closely connected: • People can adapt to the environment • People can modify (or change) the environment

16. Adapt • People make changes to their way of life in order to be comfortable, successful, healthy, safe or happy. • For example, people: • Wear different clothing depending on the weather • Eat different foods depending on what is available • Build shelters that protect them from weather conditions • Wear bug spray

17. Modify • People change the environment around them in order to be comfortable, successful, healthy, safe or happy. • For example, people: • Build damns • Build wind farms • Mine or dig for fuel • Spray insecticide

18. Human Environment Interaction • Current Environmental Issues: • Climate Change (global warming) • Energy Resources • Water Conservation • Deforestation

19. Review: What are the five themes? • Location -Where things are located on Earth, both in absolute and relative terms 2) Place - Physical and human characteristics that make a place distinct from others 3) Region - What common physical and human characteristics link a place to other parts of the world 4) Movement - How the movement of people, goods, and ideas affect a place 5) Human Environment Interaction - How the lands affects the people and how the people affect the land

20. Assignment • What does each theme look like? • In the top box, explain each theme. • In the bottom box, draw a picture that represents each theme. • Your picture should clearly describe the theme. • Be creative, and thoughtful.