The Five Themes of Geography What is Geography What are the five themes How are the five themes used How will I use this in class

What is Geography? Comes from the Greek word “geographia”—meaning “to describe the earth” Geographers view the world by looking at how space is used on earth and the interactions that take place Geography is the study of the distribution and interaction of physical and human features on the earth

The Five Themes of Geography Tools used in Geography— Maps, Charts, Graphs, tables, observations and the five themes The themes organize information to make it easier to study—geography is very broad

Theme: Location Where is it? Location can be described either relatively or absolutely

Absolute Location The exact location of a place on the globe or map To find exact location you use the grid system on the globe or map The grid system is made up of Longitude and Latitude lines

Relative Location Describing location of one place in terms or relation to another place McDonalds is one block down from the Kroger Cairo, Egypt is located near the mouth of the Nile River in Africa For relative location to be useful, you must already have some grasp of where certain things are located.

Theme: Place What is it like? Can be described physically or culturally Physically– mountains, rivers, lakes, climate, vegetation Culturally– religion, population, language, ethnic background

Theme: Region How are areas similar or different? A region is an area of earth’s surface with similar characteristics—physical, cultural, economic, or political There are Three types of regions 1.Formal 2.Functional 3.Perceptual

Formal Regions Defined by a limited number of related characteristics Example: The Sahel region in Africa is a desert area characterized by specific climate, vegetation, and land use patterns Political regions– continents, countries, or states Economic regions—The Breadbasket of the U.S. Cultural regions– The Middle East

Functional Regions Two or more places connected by interactions or connections usually through movement. Example: a city and its suburbs connected by highways, railroads, subways, and bus lines

Perceptual Regions A place in which people perceive, or see, the characteristics of the region in the same way Example: The South

Theme: Human-Environment Interaction How do people relate to the physical world? Adapting- Humans changing themselves to meet the surrounding environment Example: using air conditioning in a hot climate Altering– Humans changing the environment to meet their personal needs Example: Building a dam to control flooding or cutting down trees to create farm land

Theme: Movement How do people, ideas, and products move from one location to another? Geographers analyze movement by looking at three types of distance: linear distance, time distance, and psychological distance

Theme: Movement Linear Distance: how far a person, idea, or product moves across the earth Example: geographers look at how physical geography can prevent linear movement (mountains, oceans) Time Distance: amount of time it takes for a person, idea, or product to reach a place Example: how long did it take for Christianity to spread, trade of products

Theme: Movement Psychological Distance: the way people view distance. The more familiar you are with a place the closer it seems to be to you.