1. THE 5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

2. Geography  The study of the distribution and interaction of physical and human features on the earth.  From the Greek word geographia, meaning “to describe the earth.”

3. THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY  Location  Place  Human-Environment Interaction  Movement  Regions

4. LOCATION Where are we?  Absolute Location  A latitude and longitude (global location) or a street address (local location).  Paris France is 48 o North Latitude and 2 o East Longitude.  The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.  Relative Location  Described by landmarks, time, direction or distance. From one place to another.  Go 1 mile west on main street and turn left for 1 block. You are Here

5. Absolute Location  Examples:  Rome is located at 41 N, 12 E  Address

6. Relative Location  Examples:  Rome is located near the Mediterranean Sea.  Argentina is near Brazil.  Ecuador is south of Mexico.  Mr. T lives near Dell Diamond.

7. PLACE What is it like there, what kind of place is it?  Human Characteristics  What are the main languages, customs, and beliefs.  How many people live, work, and visit a place.  Physical Characteristics  Landforms (mountains, rivers, etc.), climate, vegetation, wildlife, soil, etc.

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:  Portuguese is the official language of Brazil.  Many Mexicans are Catholic.  Mayan ruins are located in Mexico.  Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico.

9. 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.

10. REGIONS  How are regions similar to and different from other places?  Formal Regions  Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries (States, Countries, Cities)  Functional Regions  Regions defined by a function (newspaper service area, cell phone coverage area, area code).  Perceptual/Vernacular Regions  Regions defined by peoples perception (Middle East, The South, etc.)

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)  States – Texas, Arizona, New York, Montana  Tropics (countries located near equator) ** All Formal Regions are based on MEASURABLE data!!!

12. Functional Region  Serves a purpose that affects places around it.  Distributes goods/people  Serves specific purpose  Examples:  Panama Canal  Amazon River Basin  Hollywood  Area Code 512

13. Perceptual Region  Groups of areas that provoke a certain stereotype or feeling.  Examples:  The Bronx  China Town  The South  The Middle East

14. Now, you try it…  State of Texas -  Amazon River Basin -  The South -  Rust Belt -  Travis County -  Country of Brazil -  The ship channel -  Aggieland -  Chinatown -

15. Now, you try it…  State of Texas - Formal  Amazon River Basin - Functional  The South - Perceptual  Rust Belt - Perceptual  Travis County - Formal  Country of Brazil - Formal  The ship channel - Functional  Aggieland - Perceptual  Chinatown - Perceptual

16. MOVEMENT  How are people, goods, ideas moved from place to place?  Human Movement  Trucks, Trains, Planes  Information Movement  Phones, computer (email), mail  Idea Movement  How do fads move from place to place? TV, Radio, Magazines

17. Movement  Places do not exist in isolation.  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)  Facebook (ideas)

18. HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION  How do humans and the environment affect each other?  We depend on it.  People depend on the Tennessee River for water and transportation.  We modify it.  We build dams  We adapt to it.  We adapt to the environment by wearing clothing suitable for summer (shorts) and winter (coats), rain and shine.  People modify our environment by heating and cooling buildings for comfort.

19. Remembering the 5 themes  If you can’t remembering what they are just ask MR. HELP!!!  M – Movement  R – Regions  HE – Human Environment interaction  L – Location  P - Place