Download The Five Themes of Geography

Geography is the study of the
earth and everything on it!
…it is the topic
Geography is a BIG subject!
We will divide geography into 5
different THEMES/topics
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The 5 Themes of Geography were developed as a
method/way for studying geography.
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The themes help us categorize/organize
geographic information.
Geography = noun
Geographic = adjective
Question investigated: Where is it?
Two categories of location:
A. Absolute location
B. Relative location
Absolute Location
A specific place on Earth
 Coordinates: Latitude and longitude
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Where a place is in relation to/compared to another
place
 Uses directional (N,E,S,W) words to describe
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Question investigated: What is it like?
The 2 categories are:
A) Physical places
B) Human places
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Physical (natural) characteristics of
the environment that is distinct
Eg. climate, landforms, water
features, plants, wildlife…
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Human (not natural) characteristics of a place that is distinct
Eg. activities, architecture, economy, religion, language…etc
Question investigated:
 How does the physical place
influence/affect/impact humans?
 How do human activities affect the physical
place?
Two Categories of interaction. . .
A) Human adaptation (root word = adapt/adjust)
B) Human alteration (root word = alter/change)
http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/corbis/DGT119/BAG0017.jpg
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Humans adapt to their
environment
Examples: adapt to
climate (shelter, clothes…)
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Humans alter their
natural environment
using technology
Question investigated: How do people, goods and ideas
move around?
Two categories. . .
A) Material movement (can see)
B) Non-material movement (cannot see)
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obvious movement using land, water, or air
vehicle
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less obvious movement
Examples:
 movement of information/ideas through wires
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Question investigated: What areas have
unifying/common features?
Two categories of region. . .
A) Formal region
B) Functional region
Formal regions share at least 1 unifying/common feature.
Examples of features that define a region:
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Landform regions (eg. Mountain areas, flat lands)
Political regions (eg. provinces, countries, cities)
Cultural regions (eg. Chinatown, Little India)
Language regions (eg. French neighbourhood)
Economic regions (eg. Agricultural area, financial district)
Climate regions (eg. Arctic climate, tropical climate)
Functional regions are defined by a function/goal/purpose
It is an interactive system with interconnected parts.
Examples: central business district (CBD), newspaper service
area, cell phone coverage area, ecosystems (natural functional
region)
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Is it possible for there to be formal regions
within functional regions?
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Is it possible for there to be functional
regions within formal regions?
Mr. Help!
M
R
HE
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Movement
Region
Human Environment Interaction
Location
Place
 The next page is an example of a 5
themes analysis of High Park, as
discussed in class…
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Location
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Absolute location:
(exact street)
Relative location:
East of kipling station
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Physical place:
Cherry blossoms, flowers, ponds, lakes
Human place:
Canadian-born residents, photographers,
gardeners, tourists, picnics, old victorian style
houses, wealthy community
Movement
Material: tour bus, TTC,
biking
Non-Material:
Information about the
animals and cherry trees
Place
HIGH PARK
Region
Formal region:
High park can be a formal region
because the area is defined by it’s
rich greenery/nature (trees, water
bodies). It is also a wealthy area
with many Canadian-born
residents
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Human-Environment
Interaction
Human Alteration:
Build roads and walking paths, damage the trees
and pollute the water, control the animals
Human Adaptation:
Visit during the spring, bring a light jacket near the
water, spend leisure time in the open fields, biking,
take photos…