Download Geography 176A Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

Political Geography:
Five Themes
Ohio Northern University
Spring 2014
Five themes in geography *
1. Location
2. Place
3. Human-Environment Interaction
4. Movement
5. Region
*The Geography Education National Implementation Project (GENIP) - a consortium
of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), the American Geographical Society (AGS),
the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), the National Geographic Society
(NGS) - Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, Second Edition
Five themes in geography
1. Location
Most geographic study begins with learning the location of
places.
Location can be (1) absolute or (2) relative.
 Absolute location provides a definite reference to locate a
place.
 Relative location describes a place with respect to its
environment and its connection to other places.
Five themes in geography
2. Place
 describes the human/physical characteristics of a location.
a. Physical characteristics include a description such things
as the mountains, rivers, beaches, topography, and animal
and plant life of a place.
b. Human characteristics include the human-designed cultural
features of a place, from
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land use and architecture to
forms of livelihood and religion to
food and folk ways to
transportation and communication networks.
Five themes in geography
3. Human-Environment Interaction
• This theme considers how humans adapt to and modify
the environment.
• Humans shape the landscape through their interaction
with the land; this has both positive and negative
effects on the environment. (determinism)
Five themes in geography
4. Movement
Humans move, a lot!
In addition,
- ideas,
- fads,
- goods,
- resources, and
- communication…
all travel distances.
• This theme studies movement & migration across the planet.
Five themes in geography
5. Region
 divides world into manageable units for geographic study.
 Regions can be (1) formal, (2) functional, or (3) vernacular.
1. Formal regions
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Homogeneity (sameness) prominent
Boundaries not always clear
2. Functional regions / spatial systems
system: set of objects & their mutual interaction
o core / periphery relationships
3. Vernacular regions are perceived regions, such as "The
South," "The Midwest," or the "Middle East;" they have no formal
boundaries but are understood in our mental maps of the world