Download 5 Themes of Geography

5 Themes of Geography
Created by
Cheryl Phillips
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
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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
SOCIETY
• By clicking on this site, you can 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/resource
s/ngo/education/themes.html
Mr. Help
Mr. Help 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 Mr. Help. They are:
• Movement
• Region
• Human-Environment – (Interaction)
• Location
• Place
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MOVEMENT
People interact with other people, places, and things almost every day of
their lives. They travel from one place to another; they communicate
with each other; and they rely upon products, information, and ideas that
come from beyond their immediate environment.
The theme of MOVEMENT deals with where resources are located, who
needs them, and how they are transported over the earth’s
surface. MOVEMENT helps us understand how we are connected with,
and dependent upon, other regions, cultures, and people in the world.
Genetics Provides Evidence for the Movement of Bird Flu Viruses
from Asia to North America through the tracking of Migratory
Birds.
Mr. Ken-ichi Tokita (right), and other cooperators from the University
of Tokyo work with USGS scientists to attach satellite transmitters to
the backs of northern pintails on wintering areas of northern Honshu,
Japan. Transmitters are used to evaluate the ducks' movements,
migration, and areas of overlap with North American northern pintails.
Photograph courtesy of USGS
REGION
REGIONS are areas on the earth’s surface that are
defined by certain unifying characteristics.
These characteristics may be physical, (for example,
mountainous, desert or swampy...), human
(ethnicities), or cultural (religion, traditions,
clothing...).
In addition to studying the unifying characteristics
of a region, geographers study how a REGION
changes over times. Using the theme of REGIONS,
geographers divide the world into manageable units
for study.
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REGION
Regions can be defined by a number of
characteristics including area, language,
political divisions, religions, and
vegetation (for example, grassland,
marshland, desert, rain forest).
Just because two regions may have
water, it does not make them the same.
They are similar because they are both
bodies of water, but keep in mind, their
climates are much different, and both
are used for different resources.
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HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTAL
INTERACTIONS
This is the study of how human beings interact with their surroundings.
Throughout history, people have adapted to their surroundings
by using the available resources 'carve out' their lifestyle.
Native Americans are a perfect example of how they utilized their
surrounding to establish who they were.
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Human-Environmental Interaction
For every human act there can be a negative impact upon the environment,
whether it's clear-cutting to put up a shopping mall, or perhaps the pollution
that may come from a paper factory. We need to consider the impact
environmental changes will have on a place and people who live there.
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The two critical questions geographers ask when studying
HUMAN/ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION are:
How do people affect the environment?
How does the environment affect people?
Let's go back to the Ducks. They live on a lake, the lake is beautiful
so people build a resort around the lake . This is an example of how
the environment affects the people. Ducks, people and the lake are all
in harmony with each other.
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Here is another example of how people affect the environment and
the environment affects the people. This is not so harmonious. In
the mountains of West Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Pennsylvania
and Kentucky, coal mining is the driving economic force of that
region, But at what cost to the environment?
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LOCATION
The theme of LOCATION is the basis of our study of geography.
LOCATION answers the question, "Where is it?"
There are two different types of location that we will study:
ABSOLUTE LOCATION
RELATIVE LOCATION
RELATIVE LOCATION:
If you ask someone, "Where is Marshall Elementary School?"
Chances are they'd say, "It's in Manassas, Virginia, right off of
Hoadly road. This is Relative Location. Most people wouldn't say,
"It's Lat: 38 45 00 N and Long: 077 28 00 W."
RELATIVE LOCATION: It is also important to know how one place is
related to other places—in other words, to know that place’s relative
location. Relative location deals with the interaction that occurs between
and among places. It refers to the many ways—by land, by water even by
technology—that places are connected.
You may ask, "Where is Myrtle Beach?" and most likely, people will give
you a Relative Location as an answer.
"It's in South Carolina, about 97 miles north of Charleston."
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ABSOLUTE LOCATION: Every point on Earth has a specific location
that is determined by an imaginary grid of lines called latitude
and longitude.
Lines of latitude measure distances north and south of the
line called the Equator. The lines of latitude are found
going horizontal across a map from left to right.
(notice the lines of latitude are horizontal)
Lines of longitude measure distances east and west of the
line called the Prime Meridian. The lines of longitude are
found vertically on a map going up and down.
(notice the lines of longitude are vertical)
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Relative to Absolute locations can be seen like the
nesting dolls...you can go from relative to exact degree
of longitude and latitude on a map to saying...Manassas,
Virginia, that's on Planet Earth, North American
Continent, United States, Virginia, Manassas, down
Hoadly road, off of Kahns to the exact place on Earth
the school is located, 38° 40.865'N, 77° 25.206'W.
(Absolute Location).
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PLACE
All PLACES have characteristics that give
them meaning and character and distinguish
them from other places on earth.
Geographers describe PLACES by their
physical and human characteristics.
Physical differences, or characteristics, include things that occur
naturally, such as mountains, rivers, type of soil, wildlife,
climate etc.
Human differences, or characteristics can be defined by the
culture of a place. Language, clothing, architectural styles,
political philosophies, routes of transportation, communication
networks, and the choices people make for business and
livelihood all influence the human characteristics and character
of the PLACE.
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PLACE
This is an old moonshine flume located in the Blue Ridge
Mountains of
Virginia. They say a picture is worth a
thousands words...this picture tells volumes about
the human characteristic of this place.
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PLACE
Here is an examples of a physical characteristics.
This is Smith
Mountain Lake in Virginia.
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