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Chapter One
THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
Section 1
Looking at the Earth
Geography – comes from a Greek word that means “to describe the earth” Geography then, is the study
of the distribution and interaction of physical and human features on the earth.
Geographers view the world by looking at the use of space on the earth and the interactions that take
place there. They look at the patterns and connections between people and the land that they live on.
Geographers use a variety of tools to study the use of space on earth. They use maps as a visual
representations of a portion of the earth. They also use photographs to gain visual evidence about a
place. They organize information into charts, graphs, or tables to learn about geographic patterns and to
understand changes over time. Other tools used by geographers are the five themes of geography,
which also describe patterns and connections in the use of space.
THE FIVE THEMES AND THE QUESTION THEY ASK/
LOCATION – Where is it?
PLACE – What is it like?
REGION – How are places similar or different?
MOVEMENT – How do people, goods, and ideas move from one location to another?
HUMAN-ENVIROMENT INTERACTION – How do people relate to the physical world?
LOCATION
Two types of location:
Absolute location – the exact place on earth where geographic features, such as a city, is found.
Relative location – describes a place in comparison
to other places around it.
To help describe absolute location geographers use
a grid system of imaginary lines for precisely locating
places on the earth’s surface. For this the earth is
divided into two equal halves. These halves are
called a hemisphere. Because the earth is round like
a ball a hemisphere can be north and south, or east
and west. The equator is the imaginary line that
divides the north and south halves. The prime
meridian is the imaginary line that divides the east
and west.
Latitude lines run parallel to the equator and help locate places north or south. (The equator is
designated as zero degrees latitude.) These mark position in the north and south hemisphere.
Longitude lines go around the earth over the poles. These mark positions in the east and west
hemisphere. (The prime meridian is the zero degree line of longitude.)
Relative location describes how a place is related to its surrounding environment. For example the
library is three blocks from the library.
PLACE
Place includes the physical features and cultural characteristics o a location. Physical features are
climate, landforms, and vegetation. Since a location’s culture and its use of space may change over time,
the description of a place may also change.
REGION
A region is an area of the earth’s surface with similar characteristics. Regions usually have more than
one characteristic that unifies them. This may include physical, political, economic, or cultural
characteristics.
Formal regions – limited number of related characteristics. Examples are continental areas (Latin
America, Europe, Southwest Asia, East Asia, etc.)
Functional regions – is organized around a set of interactions and connections between places. Usually a
hub or central place, and links to that central place. Example is a city and its suburbs
Perceptual regions – is a region in which people perceive, or see, the characteristics of the region in the
same way.
HUMAN-ENVIROMENT INTERACTION
People learn to use what the environment offers them and to change that environment to meet their
needs. They also learn to live with aspects of the environment that they cannot control, such as climate.
People live in similar environments do not respond to them in the same way. Some people view hot,
sunny climate near a body of water as ideal for recreational activities. Other may see this as an
opportunity for raising citrus, olives, or grapes. People may drain swamps or dig irrigation ditches to
grow crops in a particular environment. Sometimes the alterations create new problems, such as
pollution.
MOVEMENT
Geographers analyze movement by looking at three types of distance: linear distance, time distance,
and psychological distance.
Linear distance – means how far across the earth a person, an idea, or a product travels. Physical
geography can affect linear distance by forcing a shift in a route to avoid impassable land or water.
Time distance – the amount of time it takes for a person, and idea, or a product to travel.
Psychological distance – the way people view distance, as we get older as we become familiar with a
place, we think it is closer than it actually is.
Section 2
The Geographer’s Tools
A geographer’s tools include maps, globes, and data that can be displayed in a variety of ways. Even
though mapmaking evolved into a very complex task, map functions have remained the same-to show
locations of places, landforms, and bodies of water, and where they are in relation to other parts of the
earth.
Globe A three dimensional representation of the earth. But since the earth is a sphere, we can see only
one half of it at any time. Globes are not easily portable.
Maps A two dimensional graphic representations of selected parts of the earth’s surface. Maps are
easily portable and can be drawn to any scale needed. The disadvantage of a map is that distortions
occurs as the earth’s surface is flattened to create a map.
Cartographer Mapmakers who reduce some types of distortion by using different types of projections.
Map projection A way of drawing Earth’s surface by presenting a round Earth on flat paper.
There are three types of maps used, general reference maps, thematic maps, and navigational maps.
The most used is a general reference map called a topographic map which represents man made
features on the earth, thematic maps emphasize special kinds of information such as climate,
population, road maps, and navigation maps used by pilots and sailors.
The first step in making a map is to complete a field survey. In our modern times this is done by remote
sensing, this is by aerial photography or by satellites. The data gathered includes information such as
elevation, differences in land cover, and variations in temperature. The most heavily used satellites used
for map makers are Landsat which is a series of satellites that orbit more than 100 miles above the Earth
and GOES (Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite) which is a weather satellite.
Geographic Information System this is the newest tool in a geographer’s toolbox. It stores information
about the world in a digital database. It can combine information from a variety of sources and display it
in ways that allow the user to visualize the use of space in different ways.
Global Positioning System (GPS) the system of 24 satellites called Navstars, which beam information to
the earth. The exact position- latitude, longitude, altitude, and time-displayed on a hand-held receiver.
Azimuthal projection
Conical projection
Mercator projection
Homolosine projection (interrupted map)
Robinson projection