Download 5 Basic Themes of Geography

5 Basic Themes of
Geography
Location

A position on the earth's surface.
Absolute Location - the specific
location of a place on the earth's
surface expressed through the use of
a coordinate system such as latitude
and longitude.
Relative Location - the location of a
place expressed in relation to another
place.
Nature of Place
The physical and human
characteristics that make a place
unique. To help you determine these
characteristics look at a place
through:
 The Five Lenses of Geography
(PEEPS)
 Physical
Economic
Environmental
Political
Social / Cultural

Human-Environment Interaction
 The
way humans…
– depend upon,
– adapt to, and
– modify
 …the
environment.
Movement
 The
varied patterns in the
movement of life forms, ideas,
and materials.
Regions
 Basic
units of study that define
an area with certain human
(cultural) and/or physical
(natural) characteristics.
Applying the 5 Themes of
Geography to Surrey, BC
Location
 Absolute
Location: Surrey is
located in southwestern British
Columbia, Canada at 49° 10' N,
122° 50' W.
Relative Location: Central Surrey
is approximately 30km southeast
of downtown Vancouver.

Nature of Place

Physical Characteristics
- Surrey is approximately 370 square kilometers in area
which equals the size of Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby
combined.
- The City consists of upland areas with glacial deposits and
lowland areas with fertile river deposits (see map below).
- The Fraser river flows by the community to the north and
the Nicomekl and Serpentine rivers empty into Boundary
Bay in South Surrey.
- There are forested areas in the community (i.e. within
parks).
- Surrey has a maritime climate with moderate
temperatures and wet winters. The average summer
temperature is approximately 22 degrees Celsius in
comparison to five degrees Celsius during the winter. The
city receives just over 1000 mm of precipitation annually.
North Surrey though receives more precipitation than the
southern portion of the city due to the orographic effect of
the mountains to the north.

Nature of Place

Economic
Characteristics
- Surrey has a
diversified
economic profile







commercial services,
industrial sector,
port facilities,
residential
construction,
agriculture,
tourism, and
the movie / tv
industry
Nature of Place

Environmental Characteristics
- Surrey is known as the "City of Parks" with more
than 600 designated parks and green belts covering
approximately 5400 acres (see green areas on map
below).
- 35% of City land is designated for agricultural
purposes as part of the Agricultural Land Reserve
(ALR) established by the provincial government in
the 1970s to preserve farmland for the future.
- As the population of the city continues to grow,
there are issues of how to manage that growth in
terms of livability and the impact on air, water, and
soil quality due to urbanization, industrialization, and
transportation.
Nature of Place

Political Characteristics
- Surrey officially became a city in
September of 1993 but has been
incorporated since 1879.
- The mayor of Surrey is Diane Watts.
- As Surrey continues to grow, city officials
desire a greater say in how the Greater
Vancouver Regional District is run with
respect to issues such as transportation
projects and policing.
- Surrey's Sister Cities are the City of Zhuhai
in China and the City of Koto-ku in Japan.
Nature of Place

Social and Cultural Characteristics
- Surrey is a very multicultural city with
diverse age groups; although the southern
portion of the city (near White Rock) is less
diverse ethnically with a generally older
population.
- The City's population is growing at a rate
of approximately 800 per month and is
projected to overtake Vancouver in the next
twenty years as British Columbia's most
populated city.
- With such rapid growth there are big city
challenges to deal with such as
transportation issues and crime (i.e. auto
theft, drugs, and prostitution).
Human-Environment Interaction

Human Dependency On the Environment
- Fertile alluvial soil deposited on river flood plains in the
lowland areas has created agricultural potential.
- The Fraser river acts as a transportation route for port
activity.
- The Fraser, Serpentine, and Nicomekl rivers support the
commercial, sports, and aboriginal fisheries.
- Historically, forests have created logging jobs and related
businesses.
- Trees in parks help to support recreation, provide oxygen,
moderate local temperatures, and filter air pollution.
- Preservation of wetland areas helps to reduce the risk of
flooding and filters pollutants in water.
- The movie / television industry seeks out locations in
Surrey to film due in part to the physical geography (eg the
science fiction series "Smallville" films in Cloverdale
because this farming community has a similar appearance
to the mid-West United States).
Human-Environment Interaction

Human Adaptation to the
Environment
- The City has built dykes along the
rivers to guard against flooding.
- Bridges have been built to get
across rivers.
- Engineering techniques have been
developed to allow construction of
roads which allow for safe movement
between the upland and lowland
areas.
Human-Environment Interaction

Human Modification of the Environment
- Forests have been cleared for urbanization/sub
urbanization and industrialization.
- Urban runoff has an impact on the water quality of
streams and rivers which impacts salmon stocks.
- Sewage disposal affects the water quality in the Fraser
river. Upgrading of sewage treatment facilities from
primary to secondary treatment reduces the negative
effects.
- Industrial discharge affects water quality in the Fraser
river.
- Over fishing on the Fraser river has impacted salmon
stocks.
- The use of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides on farms
impacts groundwater quality.
- The growing number of cars impacts air quality.
- The city has built a lake near 152nd Street and 72nd Ave.
to control drainage and provide recreational opportunities.
- The city has created detention ponds to help control and
filter urban runoff.
Movement


Surrey is linked to other communities in the Greater
Vancouver area via highways (i.e. TransCanada Hwy.,
Fraser Hwy., Hwy. 99, Hwy. 10), Skytrain, buses,
Fraser river boat traffic, etc.
Surrey is connected to the United States via two
border crossings
– Peace Arch
– Pacific Truck Crossing

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The people of Surrey interact with the rest of the
world via the telephone, internet, newspapers,
television, international trade, immigration, etc.
Numerous farm products are sold to individuals from
outside of Surrey.
People around the world see movies/TV shows
filmed in Surrey.
The Cloverdale rodeo is a popular tourist attraction.
Regions
-
-
Surrey is part of the Greater Vancouver
Regional District (an economic region
between the communities of Surrey, Delta,
Richmond, New Westminster, Vancouver,
Coquitlam, etc.)
Surrey is part of British Columbia (a political
region).
Surrey is part of Cascadia (a developing
regional alliance between British Columbia,
Washington, and Oregon with common
economic and environmental concerns).