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Unit 1
Basic Geographical Concepts and
Themes of Geography
What is Geography?
Physical: Mount Everest
Political: Nepalese Sherpa
-Geography, simply put, is the study of the Earth’s surface.
This includes examinations of both physical and political (also
known as cultural) characteristics. Geography is a word
derived from the Greek language. Geo, meaning “Earth”, and
“Graphy”, which means a description of something. So,
geography literally means “a description of the Earth(‘s
surface).”
-Physical characteristics are those that occur naturally. They
include, but are not limited to, terrain, elevation, climate,
vegetation, land masses, bodies of water, etc.
-Political, or cultural, characteristics are those that are
manmade, such as concrete things like reservoirs or dams, or
abstract things like borders and governments defined by
human beings as a way of organizing and understanding the
world around them. Political characteristics include, but are
not limited to, populations and their characteristics,
economics, governments, ethnicities, languages, religions, etc.
-Sometimes, physical geography helps determine political
geography, and visa-versa. For example, if there is an
abundance of coal in a particular place or region (a physical
characteristic), that region’s economy may rely heavily on coal
mining (a political or cultural characteristic). Another example:
human beings often dam rivers to create a source of energy
and control flooding. This lowers water levels, diverts water to
land for agriculture, and creates reservoirs. This would be an
example of political geography impacting physical geography.
Themes of Geography
-There are five basic themes of geography. A
theme is an underlying idea or concept that helps
us understand subject matter. The five basic
themes of geography are: location (where
something is located), place (a study of the
physical and political characteristics of a particular
location), region (a study of the physical and
cultural characteristics of an entire area, rather
than just one location), human-environment
interaction (how humans and their actions impact
their surroundings), and movement (how and why
people move from one place to another).
Location
Location is the theme that helps us understand where things are physically located. When most
people think of geography, they think of locating places on a map.
-There are two basic types of location: absolute and relative.
-Absolute location is a description of a fixed point on the Earth’s surface, and cannot change. For
instance, one way of describing Houston’s absolute location is through latitude and longitude.
Houston is located at N29°, W95°. Latitude and longitude is the most common way of describing
absolute location.
-Relative location is describing the location of a place relative, or compared to, another location. For
instance, Houston is south of Dallas, but east of San Antonio. Relative location can change or be
described more flexibly than absolute location.
-Another example: let’s say Mickey lives at 1234 Aybeesee Road. His address is an example of absolute
location. Mickey’s house will likely never move from that address. On the other hand, Mickey may live
north of his girlfriend Minnie’s house. This would be an example of relative location.
Latitude and Longitude
(Absolute Location)
Trafton Academy is Located Relative To
What Other Places?
Place
Place is theme of geography that helps us understand both the physical and political characteristics of
a particular location.
-Physical characteristics might include elevation, vegetation, landforms, bodies of water, natural
resources, climate, etc.
-Political or cultural characteristics might include population, standards of living, ethnicities, cultures,
languages, religions, levels of education, types of industries, infrastructure, etc.
Examples of Physical Characteristics:
Examples of Political/Cultural Characteristics:
Average Monthly Temps/Rainfall
Buffalo Bayou
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Oil Refinery in Texas City
Region
Region is theme of geography that helps us understand both the physical and political characteristics
of an entire geographic area, not just one place. This allows geographers to compare and contrast the
characteristics of different places throughout an entire region.
-Some geographical locations belong to multiple regions, sometimes defined by environment, climate,
industries, culture, language, etc. Texas, for instance, might be considered a region in and of itself, and
Texas is considered part of other regions, such as the Gulf Coastal Plain.
Examples of Physical Regions:
Example of Regional Political/Cultural Characteristics:
Texas Per Capita Income
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Human-Environment Interaction
Human-Environment Interaction is simply the ways in which human beings impact their environment
and visa-versa. For instance, environment and climate have a major impact on the ways in which
humans live their lives. It often determines their lifestyle, standard of living, what kinds of homes they
live in, what kinds of foods they eat, how they dress, and can even have a major spiritual or religious
influence on societies. On the other hand, humans and their actions impact the environment around
them. As humans spread out and settle new areas, they cannot help but use resources and displace
the natural environment. There are numerous ways in which humans can negatively impact their
environment: deforestation, especially of the world’s rainforests, pollution of the atmosphere and
various bodies of water, the gradual endangerment and extinction of various species of plants and
animals because of human expansion into previously uninhabited areas, etc.
Another way in which humans interact with their environment: the obtaining and use of natural
resources. There are two major types of resources: renewable (those resources that can be renewed,
reused, or recycled), and non-renewable (those resources that can only be used once).
Renewable or Reusable Examples
Non-renewable Examples
Oxygen
Water
Wood and wood-related products: paper, lumber, etc.
Plastic (which is made from petroleum but can be
recycled and used again)
Metals: Aluminum, steel, etc.
Rubber
Fossil Fuels: Oil (Petroleum), Natural Gas, Coal, etc.
Nuclear Materials: Uranium, Plutonium, etc.
Grandma
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Movement
Movement refers to the migration of human beings for various reasons. The movement or migration
of people has a dramatic effect on the ethnic, social, religious, and linguistic makeup of a society. The
United States is a very good example: most citizens of the United States are immigrants or descended
from people who immigrated to America in the past. For this reason, the US is often called “a nation of
immigrants”.
Why do People Move?
Reason
Examples
Economic: People seeking a better standard of living,
better jobs, higher pay, property ownership, etc.
Latin American immigrants coming to America for work,
higher pay, etc.
Europeans moving to colonial America and the United
States thanks to the promise of cheap, fertile land
Political: People seeking to escape persecution and
discrimination for their political beliefs
Cuban immigrants seeking freedom in the US, fleeing the
oppressive communist regime of Fidel Castro
Social: People seeking to escape persecution for their
ethnicity, culture, race, or religion
Jews fleeing Europe before, during, and after the
Holocaust
Puritans (Pilgrims) settling in colonial America in order to
practice their religion freely
Refuge: Often people move simply to escape war and
violence in their own countries
Syrian refugees fleeing civil war and terrorism in their
own country (ISIS)
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