The Five Themes of Geography

Theme 1: Location Where is it? Why is it there? Two types of “Location” Absolute Relative

Location: Absolute Absolute location is a specific place on the Earth’s surface Uses a grid system Latitude and longitude The absolute location of a state or country is determined by the absolute location of its capital city

What is the absolute location of the United States of America? Look in the index of your atlas to find the latitude and longitude of Washington D.C. What is the absolute location?

Location: Relative Relative location is where a place is in relation to another place Uses directional words North, south, east, west, northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast These are known as cardinal and intermediate directions

What is the relative location of the United State of America? Use your atlas to figure out what is north, south, east, and west of the United States of America Example: North America is north of South America

Theme 2: Place Physical Characteristics These are the physical features that define a place Landforms Bodies of Water Land cover/ vegetation Climate Animals

What are some physical characteristics of the USA? Niagara Falls Bald Eagle Try to think of three physical characteristics in the U.S. Here are some examples: Snow Bryce Canyon

Theme 2: Place Human Characteristics These are the cultural similarities that define a place People Culture Examples: art, clothing, traditions, celebrations, literature, sports Language Religion Buildings Man-made structures Cities History

What are some human characteristics of the United States of America? Try to think of three human characteristics in the U.S. Here are some examples: American Football Mount Rushmore New York City

Theme 3: Human-Environment Interaction People interact with their environment by: Adapting to their environment Modifying their environment Depending on their environment

What are some examples of how Americans interact with the environment? Try to think of three ways Americans interact with the environment Here are some examples: Raising Cattle Winter Clothing Fishing

Theme 4: Movement The mobility of people, goods, and ideas, and the migration of animals This includes the migration of people, transportation, and technology used to moved ideas How places are linked to one another and the world This does not include body movements, like jumping jacks

What are some examples of movement in the United States of America? What are some examples of movement within the U.S.? What are some examples of movement into and going out of the U.S.? Here are some examples: A lot of people use cars to get from place to place Many ideas are moved through computers Goods are often transported by truck

Theme 5: Regions Regions are defined by what places have in common Directional Regions Political Regions Note: State and country boundaries are political Physical Regions This includes landforms, bodies of water, land cover/vegetation, and climate Agricultural Regions Economic Regions Cultural Regions

What are some regions in the United States of America? Try to come up with three examples of regions in the U.S. Here are some examples: Much of Florida is coastal, a physical region Alaska is a political region A lot of land in the Midwestern U.S. is part of an agricultural region

Sources Note: All images came from Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 ClipArt gallery