The Five Themes of

Geography
 The Five Themes of Geography
 Location
 Place

 Human-Environment Interaction

 Movement

 Region
 Location
(Where are things located?)
 Absolute Location  Relative Location
— a latitude and —Described by
longitude (global landmarks, time,
location) or a street direction, or
address (local location). distance from one
- Lawson Middle School: place to another.
latitude: 37.32 North
- Lawson Middle School
longitude: 122.04 West
You
address: 10401 Vista Dr,
is 41 minutes south of
Cupertino, CA 95014 a re Ms. Yong’s house.
here
!
 Place
(What is it like there?)
 Human Characteristics
—What are the main
languages, customs,
and beliefs?
- Lawson Middle school has
approximately 1000 students and
60 teachers. The student
population is mostly Asian. The
majority of teachers are
Caucasian.
 Physical
Characteristics
—Landforms (mountains,
rivers, etc), climate,
vegetation, wildlife,
soil, etc.
- Ms. Yong’s house has many
hills and moderate weather.
 Human-Environment Interaction
(How do humans & the environment
affect each other?)
 We depend on it.
— People depend on the Mississippi
River for water and transportation.
 We modify it.
— People modify our environment by
heating and cooling buildings for comfort.
 We adapt to it.
— We adapt to the environment by wearing
clothing suitable for summer (shorts)
and winter (coats), rain and shine.
 Movement
(How are people, goods, ideas moved from
place to place?)
 Human Movement
— How do humans move from place to place?
— Trucks, Trains, Planes
 Information Movement
— How does information move from place to place?
— Phones, computer (email), mail
 Idea Movement
— How do fads move from place to place?
— TV, Radio, Magazines, Newspapers
 Region
(How are regions similar to and
different from other places?)
 Formal Regions
— Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries
(States, Countries, Cities)
— Regions defined by similar characteristics (Corn Belt, Rocky
Mountain region, Chinatown).
 Functional Regions
— Regions defined by a function (newspaper service area, cell phone
coverage area).
 Vernacular Regions
— Regions defined by peoples’ perceptions (middle east, the south, etc.)
 Your Assignment
 Using the template, describe where you live using the Five
Themes of Geography.