5 themes of geography Mrs. DelGrosso /Ms. West

Geographers have created five themes of geography, which are used to help you think like a geographer.

LOCATION In geography, location means knowing where you are. There are two kinds of location: Absolute location is the exact position of a place on the globe. We can use latitude and longitude to locate these places. Relative location is finding a place by describing where a place is in relation to another place. (using direction words, distance words, near, far)

REGION A region is a "world within a world" - an area with certain characteristics that make it distinct from surrounding areas. There are two kinds of regions: Physical regions: a land area with common features such as landscape or climate. Cultural regions: an area defined by its human traits such as language, religion, or the jobs people do. Regions can be large or small.

PLACE In geography, a place is one particular, unique location. There are two kinds of places: Physical place: a land area that has a special shape, climate, plant or animal life. For example, Mt. Everest is a physical place. Cultural Place: a place or event created by humans such as a building, like the White House or a city like New York City, or a special celebration like Thanksgiving

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION In geography we look at the ways that humans interact with their surroundings. This interaction can take place in two ways. Humans change their environment to meet their needs. For example, cutting down forests or blasting through mountains. The environment forces people to make changes in the way they live. For example, to live in a cold climate, people must invent ways to protect themselves from the cold

MOVEMENT Movement describes how people in one place make contact with people from another place. This contact can take place in three ways. People MIGRATE (move) from one location to another. When people in one place want something that is not found in their area, they TRADE goods with people in areas that have what they want. People across the world exchange IDEAS and INFORMATION through the telephone, television, newspapers, books or the Internet