220 likes | 331 Views
The Five Themes of Geography. What are the Five Themes?. Location Place Region Human-Environment Interaction Movement. Location. Absolute location allows us to pinpoint the exact location of any point on the surface of the earth using latitude and longitude or a grid system. Location.
E N D
What are the Five Themes? • Location • Place • Region • Human-Environment Interaction • Movement
Location • Absolute location allows us to pinpoint the exact location of any point on the surface of the earth using latitude and longitude or a grid system
Location • Relative location refers to the way a place is perceived and how that place relates to other places. • Can be measured in terms of time-- • “twenty minutes away” • Important for decision-making.
Alaska is closer to Russia than it is to the “lower 48,” but that is not how we perceive it.
Absolute Location Relative Location
Place • Physical Characteristics of Place:
Place • Physical Characteristics of Place: • Topography • Climate • Vegetation
Place • Human Characteristics of Place:
Place • Human Characteristics of Place: • Agriculture • Architecture • Religion • Economics
Region • The region is the basic unit of geographic study • Criteria for defining regions depends on the geographer’s purpose. • One place can be part of several different regions. Texas, US, and World culture regions
Region • Formal regions are based on some common feature. The Corn Belt Where Islam dominates Political entities
Region • Functional regions are created by movement. Austin metropolitan area Eanes attendance area Amazon River Basin
Region • Perceptual regions exist in people’s minds.
Human-Environment Interaction • Humans adapt to their physical environment. Building materials clothing styles
Human-Environment Interaction Humans modify their environment. Open-pit mine Terracing for rice farming
Human-Environment Interaction Human interaction with the environment can have important consequences.
Movement • Physical processes, people, goods, and ideas move across the earth’s surface. • The geographer is concerned with the effects of this movement.
What is important to understand about the Five Themes? • They give us a “geographic lens” through which to view the world. • Throughout the year, we will be using these themes to view different parts of the world and their cultures.
Homework! • You will be given a current news article by the teacher. • Tonight, you need to read this article and annotate it anywhere you find examples of the five themes. • For example, • “The tropical storm began in the Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane but was downgraded when it hit the coast.” (MOVEMENT) • “The climate on Mars is very similar to deserts on Earth.” (PLACE)