1. 5 Themes of geography
Learning about places is an important part of history and geography—the study of Earth’s surface and the way people use it. Geographers often think about five main themes, or topics, when they study Earth and it geography. Keeping these themes in mind as you read will help you think like a geographer.

2. What are the five themes?
Tools geographer’s use to study features on earth.
Location
Place
Movement
Region
Human Environment Interaction

3. Location
Everything on Earth has its own location-the place where it can be found.
2 Types of Location:
ABSOLUTE: exact location on earth (fixed)
RELATIVE: compared to other places (variable)

4. Absolute Location ABSOLUTE: exact location on earth (fixed)
Doesn’t change
Latitude/Longitude
Hemispheres
Grid System
Address
Examples:
Rome is located at 41 N, 12 E
Ecuador is located in Tropic of Cancer.

5. Relative Location RELATIVE: compared to other places (variable)
Changes dependent upon where you’re comparing it to.
Miles
Distance
Direction
Examples:
Rome is located near the Mediterranean Sea.
Ecuador is south of Mexico.

6. Place A place is defined by its unique characteristics.
Two types of characteristics:
1. Physical
2. Cultural

7. Physical Characteristics
Specific to THAT place, not generic.
The way a place looks.
Created by nature.
Mountains
Rivers, Lakes, Seas
Climate
Vegetation
Examples:
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow through Iran.
Greece contains tall, rugged mountains including the world-famous Mount Olympus.

8. Human Characteristics
Specific to THAT place, not generic.
Peoples activities change the way a place looks or is represented.
Man-made or invented.
Language
Unique buildings
Religious Practices
Celebrations/traditions/holidays
Examples:
Italian is the official language of Italy.
Egypt contains many pyramids.

9. Movement Places do not exist in isolation. Examples
Interconnectedness of the world changes the way places “look”.
“globalization”
People, goods & ideas move from place to place.
Examples
Immigration from Latin America to US.
War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people)
Facebook, instagram, twitter (ideas)

10. Region
The world is divided into different regions based upon similarities & differences.
Climate
Location
Beliefs
Languages
Ethnicity/Race
Examples: New England region, Tri-state area, Midwest

11. Human Environment Interaction
The environment & people are interconnected.
Consequences to those actions depend upon how people choose to interact with the world and use their resources.

12. HEI Current Enviromental Issues: Climate Change (global warming)
Energy Resources
Water Conservation
Deforestation