Today’s Agenda Bell Work/Attendance Power Point Group Questions Recap

Five Themes of Geography

Location Every place on earth has a location. Location is defined in terms of absolute and relative location.

Absolute Location The exact position on earth where something is found. This location is always described in terms of latitude and longitude. Absolute location never changes, just as a date does not change. Geographic Positioning Systems (GPS), using laser beams that bounce off of satellites, can now pinpoint absolute locations on earth  within an inch or two. Once you have your latitude and longitude numbers, you can find any place in the world.

Relative Location The position of a location on Earth's surface in relation to other locations. It tells us much more about your location. For example, Yosemite National Park is located north of Los Angeles, California, and east of San Francisco, California. Another way to describe location would be as follows: The city of Philadelphia is located on the Delaware River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Schuylkill River, which joins the Delaware River in Philadelphia, gives the city access to the interior. It is located on a narrow coastal plain between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.      You can find the relative location by using any atlas' political and physical map. Be sure to use both designations when describing your location.

Movement People, goods, and ideas move continuously. The movement of people, goods and ideas is called spatial interaction.  The movement theme answers the question "How do the people in this place interact with peoples in other places?"

Place Every place on Earth has special characteristics that make it different from every other place. And, just like people and snowflakes, places may have a lot in common, but no two are exactly alike. Place has both human and physical attributes. Physical - land features, plants, animals, and even weather Human - buildings, man-made landmarks, and generally, anything that has been built by man

Interaction This theme describes how people use, affect, and are affected by our surroundings. Dams Roads Slash and Burn Terraces Clearing Land

Region A region is an area defined by common characteristics. We categorize regions in two basic ways: physical and cultural. Physical – defined by landforms, climates, soils, and natural vegetations. Cultural – distinguished by language, religion, lifestyle, politics, and common industry.

Next Step You will be put into groups. Your job is to focus on the questions provided to your group. On a separate sheet of paper, write the question and the answer in complete sentences.