5 Themes of Geography

1. 5 Themes of Geography Social Studies

2. What Are The Five Themes? • Tools geographer’s use to study features on earth. • Location • Place • Movement • Region • Human Environment Interaction

3. Location • Answers the question: • Where are we?

4. Location • Describes where places are at on earth. • Types of Location: • ABSOLUTE:exact location on earth, doesn’t change (fixed) • Latitude/Longitude • Hemispheres • Grid System • Address • RELATIVE:compared to other places, changes dependent upon where you’re comparing it to (variable) • Miles • Distance • Direction

5. Absolute Location • A latitude and longitude (global location) or street address (local location). • Examples: • Rome is located at 41 N, 12 E. • Argentina is located in the southern hemisphere. • The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

6. Relative Location • Described by landmarks, time, direction or distance. From one place to another. • Examples: • Rome is located near the Mediterranean Sea. • Argentina is near Brazil. • Ecuador is south of Mexico. • Lincoln is 50 miles from Omaha.

7. Place • Answers the question: • What is it like there, what kind of place is it?

8. Place • A place is defined by it’s unique characteristics. • Physical Characteristics • Landforms (mountains, rivers, etc.), climate, vegetation, wildlife, soil, etc. • Human Characteristics • The main languages, customs, and beliefs. • How many people live, work, and visit a place.

9. Physical Characteristics • The way a place looks. • Created by nature. • Mountains • Rivers, Lakes, Seas • Climate • Vegetation • Examples: • Andes Mountains are in South America. • Amazon River flows through Brazil. • Pampas are located in Argentina.

10. Human Characteristics • Peoples activities change the way a place looks or is represented. • Man-made or invented. • Language • Unique buildings • Religious Practices • Celebrations/traditions/holidays • Examples: • Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. • Many Mexicans are Catholic. • Mayan ruins are located in Mexico. • Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico.

11. Movement • Answers the question: • How are people, goods, ideas moved from place to place?

12. Movement • Places do not exist in isolation. • Human Movement • Trucks, Trains, Planes • Information Movement • Phones, computer (email), mail • Idea Movement • How do fads move from place to place? • TV, Radio, Magazines, Internet

13. Movement • Examples • Immigration from Latin America to US (human) • War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people) • Instagram, Twitter, Periscope, Facebook (ideas) • Email (information)

14. Region • Answers the question: • How are regions similar to and different from other places?

15. Region • The world is divided into different regions based upon similarities & differences. • Climate • Location • Beliefs • Languages • Ethnicity/Race • Types: • Formal • Functional • Perceptual

16. Formal Region • Region defined by governmental or administrative boundaries. • States, Counties, Cities • Region defined by similar characteristics (physical or cultural) • Location, Climate, Religion, Language • Examples • Latin America (Spanish-speaking nations) • Tropics(countries located near equator)

17. Functional Region • Regions defined by a function. • Distributes goods/people • Serves specific purpose • Examples: • News paper service area • Cell phone coverage area

18. Perceptual Region • Groups of areas that provoke a certain stereotype or feeling. • Examples: • The Bronx • The “ghetto” • The South • Middle East • Applachian

19. Human Environment Interaction • Answers the question: • How do humans and the environment affect each other?

20. Human Environment Interaction • The environment & people are interconnected • We depend on it. • People depend on the Tennessee River for water and transportation. • We modify it. • People modify our environment by heating and cooling buildings for comfort. • We adapt to it. • We adapt to the environment by wearing clothing suitable for summer (shorts) and winter (coats), rain and shine.

21. Human Environment Interaction • Consequences to those actions depend upon how people choose to interact with the world and use their resources. • Positive/Negative Interactions • Intentional/Accidental Interactions • Favorable/Destructive Interactions

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

23. Your Assignment • “What does each theme look like?” • Use the graphic organizer to visually represent each of the fives themes of geography. • You may ONLY use words to label each circle. • Your picture should clearly describe the theme. • Be creative, and thoughtful.