Download 5 Themes of Geography

5 Themes of
Geography
How does geographic
questioning help you make
sense of a subject as large as
Earth and its people?
Equator
6.4B Identify and explain the geographic factors responsible for
patterns of population in places and regions.
6.3B Pose and answer questions about geographic distributions and
patterns for various world regions and countries shown on maps,
graphs, charts, models, and databases.
Themes of
Geography
Movement
Location
Place
Region
HumanEnvironment
Interaction
Location
where something is found
on Earth.
Relative Location: describes where a place is compared to another
place. This approach uses the cardinal directions on a compass rose –
north, south, east, and west. Relative location can also tell us about
the characteristics of a place.
For example, knowing that Galveston is on the natural harbor of a bay
along the Gulf of Mexico helps us understand why the city became an
important trading post.
Absolute Location
The exact location of something.
Geographers identify the absolute
location of places using a system of
imaginary lines called latitude and
longitude. Those lines form a grid
for locating a place precisely.
Latitude
North Pole
Tropic of Cancer
Run east to west, but they measure
distance on Earth in a north-south
direction.
Equator
Tropic of Capricorn
Note: the equator, north pole and
south pole, tropic of cancer, tropic
of Capricorn, and is measured in
degrees.
South Pole
Prime Meridian
Longitude
Run from north to south, but they
measure distance on Earth in an
east to west direction.
Note: The national dateline is called
the Prime Meridian.
Absolute Location
Is shown in latitude and longitude. Latitude is shown first. Longitude is
shown second.
For example: Washington, DC 38 degrees N, 77 degrees S
Place
The features that help define a place can
be physical or human.
Houston “Space City” because
of Mission Control.
El Paso “Sun City” because
we get 302 sunny days a
year.
Region
Places that are close to one another and share some
characteristics belong to the same region.
Southern California
Los Angeles
San Diego
Both by the
ocean.
Both have
temperate
climates.
West Texas
El Paso
Midland
Odessa
All in the western
part of Texas.
Climate dry, arid,
and windy.
Islamic Region
North Africa
Similar cultural and
religious beliefs.
Bible Belt
Texas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama,
and Georgia
Bible Belt – strong
Christian belief system.
Regions
Geographers study regions so they can identify broad patterns of larger
areas. They can compare and contrast the features in one region with
those in another. They also examine the special features that make
each place in a region from the others.
Human-Environment Interaction
People affect the environment
• Blast tunnels through mountains to build roadways.
• Drain swamps to make farmland can helpful to humans and bad for
the environments.
• Exhaust from roadways can pollute the air.
• Turning swamps into farms destroy natural ecosystems and reduces
biodiversity.
Examples of Human
Interaction
• Flat, rich, well-watered soil is good
for farming.
• Mountains full of coal can be
mined
• Hazards include floods, droughts,
earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic
eruptions, swamps, hurricanes.
Landforms
The shape and nature
of the land.
•
•
•
•
Hills
Mountains
Valleys
Presence or
Absence of water
• Rivers
• Lakes
• Oceans
Weather and Climate
Climate – the average weather in a place over a long period of time.
• Alaska – long, cold, wet winters, short, mild, summers
• Hawaii – warm year round
Resources
Materials that can be used to
produce crops or other
products.
Forests – trees can be used to
build homes and furniture.
Oil – a source of energy.
Movement
Geographers also look at how people, products, ideas, and information
move from one place to another.
Reasons for moving:
• New job
• War
• Famine
• Religious or racial prejudice
Movement of Large Groups
The sudden movement of
large groups of people can
have important effects.
• Lack of housing
• Lack of jobs
• Shortages of food or water
Transportation Services
Transportation services help move
items around the world leading to a
global economy.
• Washington Apples – Texas
• Thailand Clothes – American Malls
• Saudi Arabian Oil – American
Gasoline
Railroads, ships, airplanes, and
trucks are used to move things.
Ideas Move Even Faster
Ideas move even faster than
people, goods, or services.
• Telephone
• Radio
• Internet
• Television
Examples, people on the
Islands of Borneo watch
American TV.
Question: (Exit Ticket)
Answer this question in a complete sentence in your ISN.
How do the geographic themes of location and place relate to each
other?