The Five Themes Of Geography What are they?

What is Geography? Study of the physical world, its inhabitants, the interaction between the two, and the patterns & systems involved. Study of humans interacting with their environment including the physical environment, the built environment and socially constructed spaces

The 5 Themes of Geography: 1. Location 2. Place 3. Regions 4. Movement 5. Human-Environmental Interaction

What does each theme mean?

Location Relative Location Absolute Location Exact location of a place i.e. Latitude & Longitude(Global Location) i.e. Street Address (Local Location) Ex. Kent, WA is located at the intersection of 47° 23’ N. Latitude and 122° 14’ W. Longitude (or) Kentwood High School is located at 25800, 164th Ave. SE Covington, WA 98042-8248 Relative Location Illustrates a location as it relates to its environment Described by landmarks, time, direction, or distance from one place to another and may associate a particular place with another. i.e. across the street from Starbucks

Absolute Location: Relative Location: Canberra, the capital of Australia, is located at 35°S latitude and 149°E longitude. The letters S and E refer to hemispheres. The latitude reveals to us that the city of Canberra is in the Southern Hemisphere. The location explains why the seasons in Australia are opposite of those in the United States. The longitude tells us Canberra is in the Eastern Hemisphere, which means that is in on the opposite side of the world than the US. Relative Location: Relative location can affect a country’s history and way of life in unexpected ways. Australia's nearest neighbors are South Pacific Islands, but its language and culture came from far away: Great Britain.

Place Human Characteristics Places are defined by Physical and Human characteristics and can be described by Images as well. Human Characteristics Ideas and actions of people that change the environment i.e. buildings, roads, clothing, and food habits Physical Characteristics - describes the material surroundings - i.e. mountains, rivers, soil, beaches, wildlife

Place Images people have of places are based on their intellectual and emotional experiences. People’s descriptions of a place reveal their values, attitudes and perceptions. How is Kent connected to other places? What are the human and physical characteristics of Kent? How do these images of Kent shape our lives?

Human Characteristics Great Wall Of China Machu Picchu (Peru) The Space Needle Berlin Wall

Physical Characteristics Sahara Desert (Africa) Mount Fuji (Japan) Niagara Falls (New York) The Great Barrier Reef (Australia)

Regions Region divides the world into manageable units for geographic study. Regions have some sort of characteristic which unifies the area. (government, language, landforms &/or location etc.) Regions are human constructs that can be mapped and analyzed There are 3 kinds of regions: Formal Functional Vernacular

Formal Regions These are regions that are designated by official boundaries and are not open to dispute. For the most part, they are clearly indicated & publicly known Examples: Continents, Countries, States, Cities, Counties

Formal Regions

Functional Regions These are regions that are defined by their connections. If the function ceases to exist, the region no longer exists. Example: circulation area for a major city’s newspaper is the functional region of that paper. Example: School district boundaries are the borders of functional region for that school.

Functional

Vernacular Region These are regions that are perceived. (The perception is based upon something that encompasses the region such as a lifestyle, or dialect.) These regions have no formal boundaries but are understood in our mental maps of the world. Examples: “The South”, “Middle East” or the “The Midwest”

Vernacular Regions

Vernacular Regions of U.S.

Movement This theme studies movement and migration across the planet. The movement of people, goods and ideas have all shaped our world. People move because we are social creatures. We live in a global village & a global economy

Movement People interact with each other through travel, trade, information flows (technology) and political events. Goods travel from place to place to be bought or sold, primarily because there is a demand for them else where. Ideas and philosophies are shared through books, information flows (T.V., Internet, e-mail etc.) newspapers or politics. What is an example of an idea that moves? Fashion? Fad?

Movement of Ideas

Movement Ports of the World

Movement

Human Environment Interaction How do humans and the environment affect each other? We change the environment and then sometimes Mother Nature changes it back.(floods, hurricanes & earthquakes) There are three key concepts to human/environmental interaction: How humans adapt to the environment Adaptation: a change in a way of living to suit new conditions Ex. wearing clothes suitable to the season, etc… How humans modify the environment Modification: a change in the environment to suit human preferences Ex. includes heating or cooling buildings for comfort, etc… How humans depend on the environment Dependence: the state of relying on or needing something from the environment for aid, support, economic support. Ex. use of rivers or other waterways for water and transportation /drinking water etc…

Human/Environmental Interaction What are some other examples of Adaptation, Modification, and Dependence?

Adapt

Modify Traditional Tahitian house of coconut trunks and pandanus leaves.

Hydroelectric power for homes Depend Irrigation for crops Recreation Great Lakes Hydroelectric power for homes & businesses Shipping & Industry

Human/Environmental Interaction All places on earth have advantages and disadvantages for human settlement. One person’s advantage may be another person’s disadvantage - EX: Large Cities vs. The Countryside How have we adapted to our environment in Kent/Covington? How do we depend on our environment in Kent/Covington?

Two Minute Drill What is one main idea you took away from today’s Power Point? Without looking what are the 5 themes of Geography? Questions?