1. 5 Themes of geography

2. What are the 5 themes?
Tools geographer’s use to study features on earth.
Location
Place
Movement
Region
Human Environment Interaction

3. Location Describes where places are at on earth. Types of Location:
ABSOLUTE: exact location on earth (fixed)
Doesn’t change
Latitude/Longitude
Hemispheres
Grid System
Address
RELATIVE: compared to other places (variable)
Changes dependent a comparison.
Miles
Distance
Direction

4. Absolute Location Examples: Rome is located at 41 N, 12 E
Argentina is located in the southern hemisphere
Ecuador is located in Tropic of Cancer.
LNE is located in Lincoln, NE.

5. Relative Location Examples:
Rome is located near the Mediterranean Sea.
Argentina is near Brazil.
Ecuador is south of Mexico.
Lincoln is 50 miles from Omaha.

6. Place A place is defined by it’s unique characteristics.
Physical characteristics
Cultural characteristics

7. Physical Characteristics
Specific to THAT place, not generic.
The way a place looks.
Created by nature.
Mountains
Rivers, Lakes, Seas
Climate
Vegetation
Examples:
Andes Mountains are in South America.
Amazon River flows through Brazil.
Pampas are located in Argentina.
The isthmus of Panama connects Central & South America.

8. Cultural Characteristics
Specific to THAT place, not generic.
Peoples activities change the way a place looks or is represented.
Man-made or invented.
Language
Religious Practices
Celebrations/traditions/holidays
Examples:
Portuguese is the official language of Brazil.
Many Mexicans are Catholic.
Mayan ruins are located in Mexico.

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

10. Region
The world is divided into different regions based upon similarities & differences.
Climate
Location
Beliefs
Languages
Ethnicity/Race
Types:
Formal
Functional
Perceptual

11. Formal Region Most common/familiar.
Determined by the distribution of a uniform characteristic (physical or cultural)
Location
Climate
Religion
Examples
Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama)
Latin America (Spanish-speaking nations)
Tropics (countries located near equator)

12. Functional Region Serves a purpose that affects places around it.
Distributes goods/people
Serves specific purpose
Examples:
Panama Canal
Amazon River Basin
Hollywood
Havana, Cuba

13. Perceptual Region Examples:
Groups of areas that provoke a certain stereotype or feeling.
Examples:
The Bronx
The “ghetto”
China town

14. Human-Environment Interaction (HEI)
The environment & people are interconnected.
Consequences to those actions depend upon how people choose to interact with the world and use their resources.
Positive/Negative
Intentional/Accidental
Favorable/Destructive

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

16. Five Skills of Geography
What every geography student should be able to do.
Ask Geographic Questions:
Identify geographic issues
Speculate about a tough issue
Develop a hypothesis
Acquire Geographic Information:
Read and Interpret maps
Find data
Write qualitative & quantitative descriptions
Do field work
Arrange Geographic Information:
Compile new data and display visually
Make your own maps
Using models, make charts
Using magazines, create a collage
Record a narrative story

17. Five Skills of Geography
What every geography student should be able to do.
Analyze Geographic Information:
Make written and oral summaries of data
Draw inferences of maps and charts
Overlay different maps to look for patterns
Recognize spatial trends and relationships
Test your hypothesis
Answer Geographic Information:
Make generalizations from data
Draw conclusions from data
Make reasoned decisions
Form judgments about an issue
Help people solve problems
Publicize the results

18. Assignment “What does each theme look like?”
Use the graphic organizer to visually represent each of the fives themes of geography.
You may ONLY use words to label each circle.
Your picture should clearly describe the theme.
Be creative, and thoughtful.