Download World History Themes

THE
Five
THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
To help illustrate the link between history and geography,
geographers have identified five themes that can be
used to examine the role that geography plays.
1
Location serves as a starting point by asking, “Where is it?”
Absolute location refers to the exact location on the earth’s
surface as measured by latitude (lines north and south of
the Equator) and longitude (lines east and west of the Prime
Meridian). Relative location is less precise. It helps you
orient yourself to a location that is relative to something else.
2
3
4
The idea of Place includes more than just where something is located. It includes those physical or human
features and characteristics that give an area its own
identity or personality.
5
Modern mapmaking uses photography as a
tool. A LANDSAT satellite provided data for
this image of Miami, Florida.
Human/Environment Interaction focuses on how people
respond to and alter their environment. To live comfortably
or even to survive in many parts of the world, people must
make changes in the environment or adapt to conditions they
cannot change, or both.
The Movement of people and things between places means
that events in other places can have an impact on you personally. Transportation routes, communication systems, and
trade connections link people and places throughout the
world. The movement of people is particularly important
because they can spread ideas and cultural characteristics
from one place to another.
A Region is an area that is unified by some geographic, cultural, economic, or political feature or a mixture of features.
It is used to generalize about parts of the earth’s surface in
either physical or human terms.
Geography’s Impact on History
As you read World History: The Human Experience,
pay special attention to the ways in which geography
has influenced history and fashioned the world in
which you live.
10 The Five Themes of Geography
Themes IN WORLD HISTORY
W
orld history is a record of the adventures of humankind—both the
famous and the ordinary—throughout thousands of years. By
studying world history—by gazing across time—you can under-
stand the past and recognize its contribution to the present and the future. World history
tells of significant people and events. It also encompasses broad historical themes that
happen again and again, providing meaning for events in the past and showing how they
affect contemporary life.
World History: The Human Experience introduces nine key historical themes. Each chap-
ter highlights and develops several of these themes that demonstrate the interconnectedness of ideas and events. These events help organize your study of world history and
make connections across time.
Cooperation/Conflict focuses on
Innovation includes cultural, scientific, and
how people relate to each other throughout
history—sometimes in cooperation, working
together to accomplish a common goal, at
other times in conflict, struggling against one
another.
technical breakthroughs that increase knowledge
and impact the way people live and think.
Revolution/Reaction deals with revolution, or the sudden overthrow of long-established ideas and organizations, contrasted with
reaction, or the efforts to oppose new ideas and
preserve traditional ways.
Change includes political, social, religious,
cultural, and economic transformations that
influence human activities throughout the
centuries.
Diversity/Uniformity focuses on the
diversity or variety of world peoples and customs, contrasted with the desire for uniformity
or commonality in some societies.
Regionalism/Nationalism deals with
a sense of loyalty and belonging, expressed in
ties to a region, to a nation, or to the world as a
whole—to the global community.
Cultural Diffusion focuses on the spread
of cultural expressions through a variety of
means across nations, regions, and the world.
Movement involves the
movement of people throughout
history, including patterns of
migration, exploration, and
colonization as well as
imperialism—people in
one place on the globe
exercising control over
people in another place.
Relation to
Environment emphasizes human-environment
interchange—how people
are affected by their environment and, in turn,
how they affect that same
environment.
Horn player, Benin
Themes in World History 11