5 themes of geography Unit One

Intro How can you make sense of a subject as large as Earth and its people? Geographers use the 5 themes of geography to organize info about the world, and help them view and understand Earth 5 themes: Location Place Region Human-environment interaction Movement

Location Location: where something is found on Earth 2 types of location Relative location: describes where a place is compared to another place Often uses the cardinal directions – north, south, east & west Ex: The school is on the east side of town. Absolute location: the EXACT location of something Geographers use a system of imaginary lines – latitude & longitude to form a grid for precisely locating a place Ex: 207 S. Market St. New Athens, IL 62264 Ex: 34’N 57’E

Location cont. Lines of latitude run east to west, but measure distance in a north to south direction Equator: circles the middle of the earth & is the same distance from the North Pole as it is the South Pole Other lines of latitude between the Equator & North Pole are assigned a number from 1’ – 90’, same for the South Pole The higher the number, the farther it is from the equator Equator = 0’ North Pole = 90’N South Pole = 90’S Line of longitude run from North to South, but measure distance in an east to west direction, aka meridians Prime Meridian: starting point for measuring longitude There are 180 lines of longitude to the east of the Prime Meridian, & 180 to the west Prime Meridian = 0’ International Date Line = 180’ In the absolute location, always list latitude (‘N or ‘S) first, then longitude (‘E or ‘W)

Place The features that help define a place can be physical or human Physical: the characteristics of something Denver is the “mile high city” because it is one mile above sea level New Orleans is “the Crescent City” because it was founded on a crescent shaped bend in the Mississippi River The place has a major impact on how people live there

Region Places that are close to one another and share some common characteristics belong to the same region Regions are defined by physical & human characteristics LA and San Diego are both in southern California, sharing a nearness to the ocean & warm climate Countries of northern Africa are all part of the same region because they share the same religion Regions are important in determining patterns & distinctions over larger areas compared with other areas

Human – Environment Interaction People and the environment interact and affect one another Physical characteristics affect how people live and the jobs they have Actions from people affect the environment in positive and negative ways Environment: natural surroundings of a place Environment includes several key features Landforms: shape & nature of the land (hills, valleys, etc) Also includes the presence or absence of water Weather & climate also affect people’s interactions with the environment Climate: the average weather in a place over a long period of time Resources are the final factor in interactions Resources: materials that can be used to produce other products Renewable & nonrenewable

Movement Geographers also look at how people, products, ideas & info move from one place to another People move by choice or by force Ideas can move at an even faster rate than people or products due to advanced technology

Homework 5 themes of geography research paper Due Monday, August 24th Choose a town nearby or where you want to go to college Research Due Monday, August 24th