Download geography - Sharks Social Studies

GEOGRAPHY
THE FIVE THEMES OF
GEOGRAPHY
• Geography is the study of the world, its people, and the
landscapes they create.
• To a geographer, a place’s landscape is all the human
and physical features that make it unique.
• Geographers ask questions like: how does the world
work, what causes mountains to form, what causes
tornadoes, where are things located and why are they
there?
• Geographers are scientist that gather and use data
about places.
• GEOGRAPHERS AS SOCIAL SCIENTIST
• Some geographers study people and their lives.
• They may ask why countries change their governments
or why people in a place speak a certain language.
• Geography is sometimes called “social science,” a field
that studies people and the relationships among them.
5 WAYS TO LOOK AT EARTH
• The 5 themes of geography can help
organize information about the Earth and
its people.
• Always remember MR.LIP!
• Movement
• Region
• Location
• Interaction
• Place
LOCATION
• Geographers begin to study a place by finding
where it is, or its location.
• Cardinal directions (north, south, east and
west) and intermediate directions (southeast,
northwest) are used to describe location.
• Latitude and Longitude are special
measurements of the earth to describe location.
• Latitude is the distance north and south of the
Equator, measured in units called degrees.
• Longitude is the distance east or west of the
Prime Meridian, measured in degrees.
Location (2)
• The Equator and the Prime Meridian both
divide Earth in two. Each half of Earth is
called a hemisphere.
• The Equator divides Earth into Northern
and Southern hemispheres
• The Prime Meridian divides Earth into
Eastern and Western hemispheres.
Two Types of Location
• Absolute Location- a specific description.
• Example: The White House is located at
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the city of
Washington D.C.
• Relative Location- a general description of
where a place lies.
• Example: Canada is north of the United
States.
PLACE
• Place includes the human and physical features
at a specific location. The area’s landscape, the
features that define the area and make it
different from other places
• Such features could include: land, climate and
people.
• How people live? What religions do they
practice or what languages do they speak?
MOVEMENT
• Movement explains how people, goods and
ideas get from one place to another.
• Geographers want to know how and why people
move.
• If people are moving to find work or live in a
more pleasant area.
• When people move they bring traditional foods
and culture that enriches our way of life.
• Radios and computers have helped music from
the United States to spread and become popular
around the world.
Human-Environment Interaction
• Human environment Interaction (HEI)
explores how people affect their
environment or their natural surroundings
and how their environment affects them.
• An area’s environment includes: land,
water, climate, plants and animals.
• Examples: They have cut trails into the
mountainside or they may have learned
how to survive with little water.
REGION
• Regions are used to group places that have something
in common.
• Creating regions makes it easier to compare places.
• A region has unifying human or physical features such
as: population, history, climate or landforms.
• Example: a country is a region with a common national
government, a city is a region with a common local
government.
• Land areas can be divided by regions that share physical
features such as a dry climate or mountains.