Download The Five Themes of Geography

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Ch 1 sec 1
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Geographers view the world by
looking at the use of space on
the earth and the interactions
that take place there.
They study the patterns and
connections between the people
and the land they live on.
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The most common tool that
geographers use is a map.
Different types of maps display
different types of information.
They also use photographs,
construct scale models, and use
digital imaging to create models of
the earth.
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Another tool that is used are the
five themes of geography:
location, place, region,
movement, and humanenvironment interaction.
These organize information and
help describe the use of space
on earth.
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Location answers the question: “where
is it?”
There are two ways to answer that:
absolute location and relative location.
Absolute location is the exact place on
earth where a geographical feature is
found.
Relative location describes a place in
comparison to other places around it.
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Absolute location is determined by
a grid of imaginary lines called
latitude and longitude.
The equator is the latitude line
that divides the earth into the
northern and southern
hemispheres.
The prime meridian is the
longitude line that divides the
earth into eastern and western
hemispheres.
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Latitude lines are labeled from
0 to 90 degrees north and
south, starting at the equator
and ending at each pole.
Each line of latitude is parallel
to the others, so they are also
called parallels.
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Longitude lines are labeled from
0 to 180 degrees, and they start
at the prime meridian. The
prime meridian runs through
Greenwich, England, so it is
sometimes called the Greenwich
meridian.
Longitude marks how far east or
west the location is from the
prime meridian
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Latitude and longitude create a grid
system on the earth, and absolute
location is determined by the
latitude and longitude of the
location.
Relative location describes how a
location relates to the locations
around it. It can describe the
characteristics of the location as
well.
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Place refers to the
physical and cultural
features of a location.
Physical features refer to
things like climate,
landforms, and
vegetation.
People have an
influence on locations,
through buildings,
highways, dams, and
ports.
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Regions are areas that
have similar
characteristics. Usually
they have more than just
one similarity.
Regions have three
categories: formal,
functional, and perceptual.
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A formal region is defined by a
limited number of related
features. Generally the areas in
a region are next to each other
on a map.
Functional regions are
connected by a set of
interactions. Cities and suburbs
are a functional region.
Perceptual regions deal with
how people view the region.
Different people have different
opinions about the connection.
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Geographers study how
people, goods, and ideas
move from place to place.
There are three types of
distances to cross: linear,
time, and psychological.
Linear refers to how far
something must travel. It is
affected by physical
features on the earth.
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Time distance refers to how
long it takes to move
something. The faster
something can travel, the
farther it can spread.
Psychological distance deals
with people’s ideas about
distance. Your perception of
distance can affect the choices
you make.
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How people use the land and
resources is an important idea for
geographers. Resources can affect
population growth and movement.
People can alter the surface of the
earth to meet their needs, and they
can cause problems when they
alter the surface.
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Describe where you live using the 5 themes of geography,
relative to the school.