Download 5 Themes of Geography Five Themes of

Five Themes of Geography
Humanities 6
1: LOCATION
WHERE A PLACE IS ON EARTH
two components:
*absolute location
• position defined by
coordinates of latitude and
longitude
*relative location
• the position of a place in
relation to other places
“Kirkland is east of Seattle and
north of Bellevue.”
“The park is two blocks from
school and across the street.”
Latitude and
Longitude
lines of latitude: run parallel to the equator and
measure distance north and south of the
EQUATOR
lines of longitude: connect the north and south
poles and measure distance east and west of the
PRIME MERIDIAN
Hemispheres
• There are 4 hemispheres: Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western.
Northern
Equator
Southern
Prime
Meridian +
180° line
Western
Eastern
• Any location occupies two overlapping hemispheres: North OR South; East
OR West
• For example, Seattle is located in which two hemispheres?
– Shanghai, China? _________________ __________________
– Santiago, Chile? _________________ __________________
Finding Absolute Location
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Every spot on Earth can be defined by an absolute location.
The absolute location is represented by the intersection of coordinates.
The intersection of the equator and prime meridian is 0°, 0°.
From these two important lines we start counting the degrees, which
represent distance.
• The absolute location expresses the coordinates and hemisphere of that
particular location.
• For example: Seattle is located at 48° N, 122° W
– In which two hemispheres is Seattle located?
– Fun Fact: You always write the N or S coordinate before E or W
2: PLACE
• HUMAN AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
A LOCATION
-physical characteristics = natural features, such
as…
-human characteristics = human-added features,
such as people, cultures, ideas, objects…What
might that look like?
Natural Features
Human-added Features
3: HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT
INTERACTION
• HOW PEOPLE CHANGE THEIR ENVIRONMENT
AND HOW IT CHANGES THEM
A factory spews smog into
the air near a river, affecting
air and water quality.
Terracing mountainsides allows
people to grow food on steep
slopes.
Sherpas in northeast Nepal have adapted over centuries
to the high altitudes at which they live. These high
altitudes mean less oxygen in the air and very cold
temperatures.
Railroads are built through mountains
because of the difficulty in going over
or around them.
4: MOVEMENT
• HOW AND WHY PEOPLE, GOODS, AND IDEAS
TRAVEL FROM PLACE TO PLACE
What does it mean for ideas to move?
What kinds of ideas move? How?
5: REGION
• AN AREA UNIFIED BY COMMON
CHARACTERISTICS (physical, human, cultural)
Sometimes regions have names. What regions can
you think of?
Some Regions within the US
• “The Pacific Northwest”—physical features
and location
• the “Corn Belt”—human use based on
physical features
• “Silicon Valley”—human use
• the “Bible Belt”—cultural characteristic
• the “Deep South”—location, human history
and beliefs, physical features
Now, what were those 5 themes?
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LOCATION
PLACE
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION
MOVEMENT
REGION