Download Five Themes of Geography

Five Themes of
Geography
Adapted from Guidelines for
Geographic Education
Location
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Relative Location is described by:
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Landmarks
Time
Direction or distance from one place to another
May associate a particular place with another
Absolute Location is described by:
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Latitude and longitude (global location)
Street address (local location)
Place
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Human Characteristics
derived from ideas
and actions of people
that result in changes
to the environment
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Buildings
Roads
Clothing
Food habits
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Physical
Characteristics
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Mountains
Rivers
Soil
Beaches
Wildlife
Image based on
experiences
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Values
Attitudes
Perceptions
Human/Environmental Interaction
Humans adapt to the environment
 Humans modify the environment
 Humans depend on the environment
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Environment is not just trees, spotted
owls and rain forests. Environment is also
a feeling – what is the environment of a
big city vs. a rural town?
Movement
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People
Goods
Ideas
Regions
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Formal
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Functional
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Defined by governmental or administrative
boundaries and are not open to dispute
(includes physical regions – The Rockies)
Defined by a function (newspaper service area)
Vernacular
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Defined by people’s perception (The South)
National Geography
Standards
Geography for Life, 1994
I. THE WORLD IN SPATIAL
TERMS

Geography studies
the relationships
between people,
places, and
environments by
mapping information
about them into a
spatial context. The
geographically
informed person
knows and
understands:
1.
2.
3.
How to use maps and
other geographic
representations, tools,
and technologies to
acquire, process, and
report information from a
spatial perspective
How to use mental maps
to organize information
about people, places, and
environments in a spatial
context
How to analyze the spatial
organization of people,
places and environments
on Earth's surface
II. PLACES & REGIONS

The identities and
lives of individuals and
peoples are rooted in
particular places and
in those human
constructs called
regions. The
geographically
informed person
knows and
understands:
4. The physical and
human characteristics
of places.
5. That people create
regions to interpret
Earth's complexity
6. How culture and
experience influence
people's perceptions
of places and regions
III. PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
Physical processes shape Earth's surface
and interact with plant and animal life to
create, sustain, and modify
ecosystems. The geographically informed
person knows and understands:
7. The physical processes that shape the
patterns of Earth's surface
8. The characteristics and spatial
distribution of ecosystems on Earth's
surface
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IV. HUMAN SYSTEMS
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People are central to
geography in that human
activities help shape
Earth's surface, human
settlements and structures
are part of Earth's surface,
and humans compete for
control of Earth's
surface. The
geographically informed
person knows and
understands:
9.
The characteristics,
distribution, and migration
of human populations on
Earth's surface
10. The characteristics,
distribution, and
complexity of Earth's
cultural mosaics
11. The patterns and
networks of economic
interdependence on Earth's
surface
Continued on next slide
IV. HUMAN SYSTEMS con’t
12. The processes, patterns, and functions
of human settlement
13. How the forces of cooperation and
conflict among people influence the
division and control of Earth's surface
V. ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY

The physical environment
is modified by human
activities, largely as a
consequence of the ways
in which human activities,
largely as a consequence
of the ways in which
human societies value and
use Earth's natural
resources, and human
activities are also
influenced by Earth's
physical features and
processes.
14. How human actions
modify the physical
environment
15. How physical systems
affect human systems
16. The changes that occur
in the meaning, use,
distribution, and
importance of resources
VI. THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY
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Knowledge of
geography enables
people to develop an
understanding of the
relationships between
people, places, and
environments over
time - that is, of Earth
as it was, is, and
might be. The
geographically
informed person
knows and
understands:
17. How to apply
geography to interpret
the past
18. How to apply
geography to interpret
the present and plan
for the future
Technology and Geography
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As with any field or area of study, Geography has
expanded with the application of technology. All
areas of Geography benefit from computer
technology, however the subfields of Geographic
Information Systems, remote sensing and image
processing, and cartography are the primary
areas where computer technology is
utilized. Geography and technology have moved
into K-12 schools. Various computer hardware
and software companies, as well as organizations
such as the National Geographic Society, have
assisted schools in their efforts to integrate
geography technology into their programs.
Geographic Information System
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A GIS is a computer-based system of
hardware and software that combines
digital map data with descriptive data to
perform spatial analysis. A GIS combines
the power of database management
systems with the graphics of CAD
(Computer Aided Drafting) to allow the
user to perform "what if" scenarios and to
create models.
GIS "subjects" include
planning a new residential neighborhood
in a city,
 monitoring wetlands losses,
 citing a restaurant,
 helping farmers be more precise with the
application of fertilizers or herbicides,
 performing emergency management for
police or fire departments, and
 determining utilities outages in a city.
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Global Positioning Satellite
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One tool used in GIS is the GPS System. The GPS
is a constellation of satellites that use triangulation
to pinpoint locations on the surface of the Earth
through communication with GPS receivers. The
receivers may be as small as a portable phone or
large enough to require a backpack to carry
them. The GPS system allows users to locate
themselves, using a geographical coordinate
system (i. e. Lat/Longs). GPS systems may be
installed in cars, used by hikers and hunters, or
used by GIS analyst to input locational information
into the computer
Using GPS systems, a GIS analyst may:
map trails in a National Forest,
 collect the location of fire hydrants,
 map the streets of a city,
 monitor the migration of caribou, and
 map utility systems
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Remote Sensing
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The process of studying an object without
being in contact with the object (i. e.,
from a distance). Geographers perform
remote sensing using aerial photography
(pictures taken from a camera on board
an aircraft) or satellite imagery (images
taken from space either from satellites or
spacecraft). Geographers use computers
and image processing to draw information
from imagery
Geographers have used satellite imagery
to:
track oil spills in the Persian Gulf,
 monitor floods on the Mississippi River,
 determine damage or stress in agricultural
fields or forests, and
 to determine damage extent after
hurricanes come ashore
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Cartography
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The art and science of making maps. Cartography
is a "science" because it requires observation and
knowledge of the Earth's surface, combined with
mathematical skills. Cartography is an "art"
because it requires a knowledge of map layout,
design, and color techniques. Historically
cartographers drew maps by hand, which is a timeconsuming, tedious task. With the advent of
computers, cartographers now are free to
concentrate on good design, rather than on their
ability to draw or draft.