1. What is geography?

2. Geography is the study of the earth and of the ways
people live and work on it.
Geography comes from the Greek word “geographia”
which means “a description of the earth.”

3. Geography has five themes (or categories) that it is
divided into. What do you think those five themes might be?

4. Five Themes of
Geography

5. Location Five Themes of Geography
Concerned with the question “WHERE IS IT?”
The ABSOLUTE LOCATION of a place
It’s position on the globe
The RELATIVE location of
a place is where it is located in
relation to something else.
(The United States is located
south of Canada)

6. Place What could change the way a place looks?
Concerned with the question WHAT IS IT LIKE THERE?
Each place on earth has it’s own physical features LIKE
land water weather
soil plant life animal life
What could change the way a place looks?

7. Human Environment/Interaction
Concerned with the question WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN PEOPLE AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT?
People are attracted to a place for various reasons…
an ocean, a climate, the soil.
Do people adapt TO their environment or adapt the
environment to fit their needs?
How do people adapt to their environment?
How do people change their environment?

8. Mississippi River
Hoover Dam

9. Natural Mountains
Strip Mining Aftermath

10. Movement What are some reasons people might move from one
Concerned with the question HOW ARE PEOPLE AND
PLACES CONNECTED?
Throughout history people have moved in large groups
(migration)
What are some reasons people might move from one
location to another?
Geographers today are also interested in the movement
of goods, ideas and information.
How are people and places connected today?

11. Migration Map

12. WORLD TRADE ROUTES

13. The geographically informed person
knows and understands…
The characteristics, distribution and migration
of human populations on Earth’s surface

14. Humans are spaced unevenly over the Earth’s surface
Geographers…
Understand why people live where they do
Why they move from place to place
Why there is spatial variation in the social, culture
and lifestyle characteristics of the human population

15. Examples: Near Samana, Dominican Republic
A young boy takes a break from his
work on a coconut plantation. He is
typical of age characteristics of
developing countries where children and
youth may constitute half the
population.
Birth rate in the Dominican Republic
is 3.2 compared to Germany’s 1.3

16. Near Raqqa, Syria
An elder Arab sheik in traditional dress is honored during a Desert Festival in Syria. Few Syrians carry on the Bedouin lifestyle (predominantly desert-dwelling Arabian ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes, or clans). But females continue to meet in the desert to celebrate ancient traditions.

17. What do you notice about areas with the greatest concentration
of population?

18. Region Concerned with the question HOW IS THIS AREA UNIFIED?
An area of the earth’s surface that is defined by certain
unifying characteristics.
Characteristics can be physical, human, or
cultural. Using the theme of regions, geographers
divide the world into manageable units for study.
Turn to your partner to name a least 5 different
types of regions.

19. Regions can be divided into
any category

20. Review – NAME THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
LOCATION
PLACE
HUMAN/ENVIRONMENT
INTERACTION
MOVEMENT
REGION

21. MIND MAP ACTIVITY
USING THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY,
MAKE A WEB MAP. USE EXAMPLES THAT
APPLY TO YOU PERSONALLY.
SEE NEXT SLIDE FOR AN EXAMPLE