THE 5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

 Location  Place  Human Environment interaction  Movement  Region

LOCATION  refers to the position of people and places on the earth’s surface. It answers the question of where something is located. There is ABSOLUTE and RELATIVE location. Where exactly is something located? What is the nearest town or city? Is it situated near an ocean, river or lake?

PLACE  tells us the special features an area might have, such as its climate, people and landforms. It tells what the physical and human characteristics of an area are and the image people have of a place such as a lighthouse representing Atlantic Canada. Place answers the question of what’s it like there.

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION  deals with how people react and sometimes change the environment. This theme deals with how people depend on their surrounding environment, how they modify or change it and how we adapt to it, such as cold weather areas of Canada.

MOVEMENT  tells us about people interacting on planet Earth. The movement of people, and goods and services are aspects of this theme. How important is trade, business and commerce to the particular area? This theme answers the question of how and why places are related to each other.

REGION  deals with areas that are alike in some way or form. What are the unifying characteristics of the area? What distinguishing features make this area a region? How is the total area similar and how is it different from other areas?