1. Learning the Five Themes in Geography Chapter 1 Section 1

2. Geography The word comes from a Greek word meaning “writing about or “describing” the earth. It is the study of where people, places, & things are located and how they relate to each other.

3. 1. Location: Where is it? A. Absolute location: a precise place. They do not change in degrees of longitude & latitude. Longi. & latit. are used as a grid system of imaginary lines for precisely locating places.

4. Cont. B. Relative Location: It describes how a place is related to its surrounding environment. Ex: The park is about two blocks west of the public library.

5. 2. Place: What is it like? A. Physical Characteristics: Geographers examine the natural features of places, including landforms, climate, and vegetation.

6. Cont. B. Human Characteristics : How people live, work, languages, customs, beliefs, governed, economy function, urban growth, farming techniques, & architectural styles.

7. 3. Human –Environment Interaction : How do people relate to the physical world? Refers to the relationship between human and their environment. People learn to use what the environment offers and to change it to meet their needs. We also learn to live with environment we can’t control. Ex: climate, floods, hurricanes, etc.

8. Examples: The American Southwest provides examples of positive and negative changes. Before the era of swimming pools, air conditioning, massive irrigation, and automobiles, this hot, dry region had few residents.

9. 4. MOVEMENT: How do people, goods, & ideas move from one location to another? Ex: lakes, rivers, railroads, highways, clothing you wear, music, and any kinds of transportation. But, movement also means movement of ideas, religions, customs, languages, and values.

10. 5. Region: How are places similar or different? Is an area of the earth’s surface with similar characteristics. They usually have something that unifies them. They may include physical, political, economic, or cultural characteristics. 2 types: Formal and Functional

11. A. Formal Regions Certain characteristic are found throughout the area. U.S., Latin America, Europe, Africa, etc. Ex:states, countries, & cities that share the same political regions, law & rules by the same govt., & similar cultural styles.

12. Functional Region A set of interactions & connections between places. South Texas region can be defined by its climate, vegetation, rivers and landforms. Suburbs: highways, commuter railroads, subways, & bus lines move people from suburbs to cities.

13. Questions on five themes 1. What is the difference between absolute and relative location? 2. How is the absolute location of a place described? 3. How is the relative location of a place described? 4.What does the theme of place refer to?

14. Cont. 5. What is a region? 6. How do formal & functional regions differ? 7. What does the themes human- environment interaction refer to? 8. Give some examples of the positive and negative effects of people altering their environment?

15. Answers? 1. A.L. is the exact place of a geographic feature & R.L. describes a feature’s location in relation to its surrounding. 2. By identifying the place’s latitude & longitude. 3. By identifying its spatial relationship to other places around it. 4. The physical & cultural features of a location.

16. Cont. Answers 5. An area of the earth’s surface with similar characteristics. 6. Formal is base on related characteristics & functional is connections between places. 7. Ways in which people use, change or live with their environment. 8. Positive: safer and more livable; negative: pollutes, destroys natural beauty.