Understanding Geography: Five Themes and Alfred Wegener's Theory

1. I. Five Themes of Geography A. Location B. Place C. Region D. Movement E. Human-Environment Interaction

2. II. Importance of the Five Themes A. The themes allow us to discuss and explain people, places, and environment of the past and present

3. III. Study of Geography A. Scientist Alfred Wegener 1. Dateline – pg. 35 2. Wegener’s theory was that the continents were once all connected and over time the pieces moved and drifted apart 3. Eventually, scientists agreed and discovered tectonic plates

4. Pangaea

5. Five Themes • Location • Allows us to discuss places in the world in terms that everyone can understand • Absolute Location: the exact spot on Earth where a place can be found • Relative Location: the approximate spot where a place can be found • Latitude Lines: imaginary lines that run parallel to the Equator and measure distance north and south of the Equator • Longitude Lines: imaginary lines that run between the North and South Poles and measure distance east and west of the Prime Meridian

6. Latitude/Longitude

7. Place • Allows us to know what a place is like • Physical Features: • climate, landforms, bodies of water, and plant and animal life • Physical features change, sometimes caused by volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, movement of glaciers, or formation of deltas • Human Characteristics • Ex:

8. What can you tell about this place?

9. III. Region A. Group of places that have physical features and/or human characteristics in common B. Geographers compare regions to understand differences and similarities among them. Why? C. What are some examples of regions? 1. Natural regions are classified based on climate and plant and animal life

10. IV. Movement A. People, goods, ideas, animals, and plants move from one place to another. B. Migrate: to move from one place to another C. Push and Pull Factors: reasons for migration D. Natural barriers make migration difficult. Ex:

12. Human-Environment Interaction A. Occurs because humans depend on, adapt to, and change the world around them. B. Changes: 1. Humans creates change ex: 2. Environment creates change C. People learn to use resources provided by environment: 1. in the past, people who lived near oceans learned how to fish D. Environment often creates cultural differences E. People and the environment CONTINUALLY interact!