5 Themes of Geography

What are the five themes?

• Tools geographer’s use to study features on

earth.
– Location
– Place
– Movement
– Region
– Human Environment Interaction
 Location
Describes where places are at on earth.
ABSOLUTE: exact location on earth
(fixed)
• Doesn’t change
– Latitude/Longitude
– Hemispheres
– Grid System
– Address
 Examples of Absolute Location
• Examples: Argentina is located
– New York City is located at in the southern
40 N, 74 W hemisphere
RELATIVE: compared to other places (variable)
Changes dependent upon where you’re comparing it
to.
Miles
Distance
Direction
 Place
Refers to the physical and human factors that make
one area different from another

– Physical characteristics – Specific to that place,

created by nature
– Cultural characteristics – Specific to that place,
created by man or invented (IE language)
 Physical Characteristics Examples

The Amazon River flowing in

Brazil The Rocky Mountains in
Colorado
 Cultural Characteristics Examples

Portuguese is the
The Mayan Ruins in Mexico Official language of
Brazil
 Movement
Refers to the shifting of people, goods, and ideas from
one place to another

• Examples
– Immigration from Latin America to US.
– War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people)
– UNL (people, ideas)
– Facebook, Twitter (ideas)
 Region
shared characteristics that set it apart
• The world is divided into different regions based
upon similarities & differences.
– Climate
– Location
– Beliefs
– Languages
– Ethnicity/Race
 Human-Environment Interaction
Refers to ways people interact with their
environment
• Consequences to those actions depend
upon how people choose to interact with
the world and use their resources.
– Positive/Negative
– Intentional/Accidental
– Favorable/Destructive
• Current Environmental Issues:
– Climate Change (global warming)
– Energy Resources
– Water Conservation
– Deforestation
 Assignment
5 Themes of Geography Poster
Create a visual representation of each of the 5
themes of geography, and describe what each one is.