THE 5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY THE 5 CATEGORIES THAT GEOGRAPHERS USE TO STUDY EARTH AND EVERYTHING ON IT.

ABSOLUTE LOCATION a specific location: latitude & longitude, exact address RELATIVE LOCATION RELATIVE LOCATION HOW to SPECIFICALLY get from one place to another EXAMPLE: Drive two blocks, then turn left Like GPS directions in a car

What is it like? (senses) What makes it different from another place? What kind of place is it? EXAMPLE: What makes a park different from a city street ? HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS Languages spoken? Customs? Belief systems? Population? Tourism? PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS landforms (geography) climate vegetation soil wild life sounds / smells

Examples: deserts rain forests plains mountains tundra An area that shares similar characteristics in terms of government, language, landforms, climate, etc. Ask yourself, “ What makes it like other areas?”

DESERTS HOT / DRY CLIMATE LITTLE/ NO RAIN FALL SANDY/ ROCKY SOIL RAIN FORESTS HOT / HUMID CLIMATE GREEN VEGETATION RAIN FALL REMEMBER: Regions are areas of land that are the same anywhere. FOR EXAMPLE: “Plains” can be found in the Midwest part of the U.S AND somewhere like Africa (totally different continent!) “Tundra” can be found in Alaska in U.S. AND Greenland or Iceland (totally different continents)

THINK ABOUT IT: How do we communicate?How do we communicate? How do we get items in aHow do we get items in a store from one place to store from one place to another ? another ? How do people get from one place to another ?How do people get from one place to another ? How are people & places connected?How are people & places connected? How do people, goods, & ideas move around the world?

How people ADAPT or CHANGE the Environment (land) How do people interact with their land? HOW ARE WE ABLE TO LIVE SOMEWHERE ? How does nature make us change the way we live?

5Themes of geography