5 themes of Geography

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5 themes of Geography

• Place, Location, Region,
• Movement, Human/Environmental Interaction

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PLACE
All places have attributes that give them meaning
and character and distinguish them from other
places on earth. Geographers describe place by
two specific definitions Physical
Characteristics The physical characteristics of a
place make up its natural environment and are
derived from geological, hydrological,
atmospheric, and biological processes. They
include land forms, bodies of water, climate,
soils, natural vegetation, and animal life.
Human Characteristics The human
characteristics of a place come from human ideas
and actions. They include bridges, houses, and
parks. Human characteristics of place also
include land use, density of population,
language patterns, religion, architecture, and
political systems.

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PLACE
Physical Characteristics
Those physical features about a place that make
it unique
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PLACE
Physical Characteristics
Where are these places??
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PLACE
Physical Characteristics
Where would you find these animals??
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PLACE
Physical Characteristics
What are some of the physical characteristics
that make Leland unique
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PLACE
Human Characteristics
Human Characteristics The human characteristics
of a place come from human ideas and actions.
They include bridges, houses, and parks. Human
characteristics of place also include land use,
density of population, language patterns,
religion, architecture, and political systems.
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PLACE
Human Characteristics political systems.
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PLACE
Human Characteristics Architecture
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PLACE
Human Characteristics
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PLACE
Human Characteristics
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LOCATION
Location is the second theme of Geography.
Location describes where something is, and is
broken into two areas Absolute Location
answers the questions Where is it? Absolute
location is nothing more than a simple dot--often
identified as a grid coordinate on the surface
of the earth. Latitude and Longitude can be
used to pinpoint a location. For example, the
absolute location of New Orleans, Louisiana, is
30 degrees north, 90 degrees west. Finding
absolute location is the starting point for
geographic research.
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LOCATION
Location is the second theme of Geography.
Location describes where something is, and is
broken into two areas Relative Location
answers the question of where a place is located
in relation to other places. For example, New
Orleans is located at the place where the
Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of
Mexico, which gives it easy access to ocean and
river shipping. Your home has a relative
location. Where is it located in relation to
schools, stores, and convenient transportation?
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LOCATION
Absolute Location in practice
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LOCATION
Absolute Location in practice
Not very accurate in the beginning
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LOCATION
Absolute Location in practice
Satellite and Global Positioning Systems
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LOCATION
Relative Location in practice
Near what city??
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REGION
It is defined as an area that has unifying
characteristics. A region has certain
characteristics that make it different from other
regions.
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REGION
Functional Region It is organized around a
node or focal point with the surrounding areas
linked to that node by transportation systems,
communication systems, or other economic
association involving such activities as
manufacturing and retail trading. A typical
functional region is Silicon Valley.
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REGION
Formal Region It is characterized by a common
human property, such as the presence of people
who share a particular language, religion,
nationality, political identity or culture, or by
a common physical property, such as the presence
of a particular type of climate, landform, or
vegetation. Political entities such as
counties, states, countries, and provinces are
formal regions because they are defined by a
common political identity.
(See next slide for example)
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Formal Regions within a Formal Region
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REGION
Perceptual The third type of region is the
perceptual region. It is a construct that
reflects human feelings and attitudes about areas
and is therefore defined by peoples shared
subjective images of those areas. Southern
California, Dixie, and the upper Midwest are
perceptual regions that are thought of as being
spatial units, although they do not have precise
borders or even commonly accepted regional
characteristics and names.

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MOVEMENT
The theme movement addresses this question
How and why are places connected with one
another? Relationships between people in
different places are shaped by the constant
movement of people, ideas, materials, and
physical systems such as wind, plate tectonics
and volcanoes.
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MOVEMENT
Movement of People Immigration/Emigration,
Urbanization, and Population. The total people
of the world is ever increasing, and they have to
go somewhere. The movement of people from one
place to another is also addressed, and the
movement of people from farms to cities, and
back again (urban sprawl) will be covered.
Movement of Land Plate tectonics,
earthquakes, and volcanoes
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MOVEMENT
Movement of People
Understanding the patterns of human movement, the
causes, and outcomes of that movement, and the
process of that movement
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MOVEMENT
Movement of Land
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Human/Environmental Interaction
Humans have settled in virtually every
corner of the world by successfully adapting to
various natural settings. For example, people
who live in the northeastern United States use
heating units to keep their homes warm in winter
People in the southern part of the country use
air conditioning much of the year to stay cool in
the heat. The ways people choose to adapt to
their settings reflect their economic and
political circumstances and their technological
abilities.
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Human/Environmental Interaction
Humans have settled in virtually every
corner of the world by successfully adapting to
various natural settings. For example, people
who live in the northeastern United States use
heating units to keep their homes warm in winter
People in the southern part of the country use
air conditioning much of the year to stay cool in
the heat. The ways people choose to adapt to
their settings reflect their economic and
political circumstances and their technological
abilities. The earths Vegetation Zones,
Natural Resources, Energy Development play a
significant factor in that development.
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Human/Environmental Interaction
Desert
Savanna
Tropical
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Human/Environmental Interaction
Desert
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Human/Environmental Interaction
Prairie
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Human/Environmental Interaction
The earths Vegetation Zones, Natural Resources,
Energy Development play a significant factor in
that development.
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Human/Environmental Interaction
The earths Vegetation Zones, Natural Resources,
Energy Development play a significant factor in
that development.