5 THEMES OF

GEOGRAPHY
DEFINITION OF GEOGRAPHY
ge·og·ra·phy
1 : a science that deals with
the description, distribution,
and interaction of the
diverse physical, biological,
and cultural features of the
earth's surface
Source-Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary
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 IN PLAIN ENGLISH

Geography is the study of

the earth and everything
on it.

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 5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
Visit each of the following sites. Follow all buttons on each page. Save
the BACK ARROW button until you are done with each page. The BACK
ARROW button will bring you back to this page. When you have visited
all 5 Themes, click on the RIGHT arrow button below.

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 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
SOCIETY
 By clicking on this site, you will visit the
National Geographic Society 5 Themes of
Geography web page. After reviewing the
web page, click the back arrow on your
browser to come back here.
 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resour
ces/ngo/education/themes.html

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 WHERE DID THE 5 THEMES
COME FROM?
The 5 Themes of Geography originated
by the National Geographic Society
to fulfill a need for geographers
(people who study the earth and
everything on it) categorize
everything they learn. These 5 places
are easy to remember. Just say the
word “PRILM”.

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 WHAT IS “PRILM”?
PRILM is a mnemonic device that can be used
to help remember what the 5 Themes of
Geography are. Simply put, take the first
letter of each Theme to create the word
PRILM. They are:
 Place
 Region
 Interaction (Human-Environment)
 Location
 Movement