1. 6th Social Studies Geography Unit Introduction
The World of Geography
6th Social Studies
Geography Unit Introduction

2. What is Geography?
Geography is the study of the Earth and everything on it. Geography shows the relationship between people and the environment.

3. What is a Geographer? A geographer is a person who studies geography.
Geographers have many questions about the Earth like “where things are located?” and “why they are there?” and “how do humans change the Earth?”
Geographers answer these questions by studying the Earth from five different points of view called the 5 Themes of Geography.

4. 5 Themes of Geography
1. Location 2. Place 3. Human Environment Interaction 4. Movement 5. Regions

5. Geographers focus on location first.
Location describes where something is.
Location can be absolute or relative.

6. #1 Location Absolute Relative Describes an exact position on Earth.
Absolute location can be identified through longitude and latitude, street signs or addresses, and names.
Explains where something is by describing places near it.
Relative location can be identified through descriptions like near, far, a short drive, by this landmark, time, or distance.

7. Absolute

8. Absolute

9. Absolute

10. Relative

11. Relative

12. Relative

13. #2 Place
Place describes the human and physical characteristics of a location.
Physical characteristics include landforms, bodies of water, plant and animal life, and climate.
Human characteristics include population, jobs, culture, buildings, roads, bridges,

14. Physical Characteristics

15. Human Characteristics

16. #3 Human Environment Interaction
Describes how humans adapt to and change their environment.
Explains the positive and negative effects humans have on the environment.

17. How Humans Adapt

18. Negative Effects

19. #4 Movement
Humans move a lot!!!
Explains how people, goods, and ideas move from one place to another.
Helps geographers understand cultural changes.

20. Movement of People and Products

21. Movement of Communication and Ideas

22. #5 Regions The world is HUGE!!!
Geographers divide the world into regions to make it easier to study.
On maps, geographers use colors, shapes, or special symbols to show regions.
A region has a similar characteristic, like climate, land, population, or history.

25. MR. HELP
If you have trouble remembering the five themes of geography just ask Mr. Help.
M—Movement
R—Region
HE—Human Environment Interaction
L—Location
P—Place

26. Tools of a Geographer Globes—3d representation of the earth
Maps—2d graphic representations of selected parts of the earth’s surface
Satellites—devices in space that orbit the earth and scan it to collect data
GPS—hand held device that uses satellites to display an exact position
and time—is displayed on a hand–held receiver
Geographic Information Systems—stores information about the world in a digital database.

27. Can you find the 5 themes?

28. Can you find the 5 themes?

29. Can you find the 5 themes?

30. Can you find the 5 themes?

31. Homework
You will select one picture that represents each of the Five Themes of Geography. The picture may come from a magazine, internet or be a personal photograph.
I will provide a graphic organizer to help you identity the 5 themes in your photograph.
Picture and completed graphic organizer are due Wednesday, August 21st.