1. 5 Themes of Geography
Social Studies

2. What Are The Five Themes?
Tools geographer’s use to study features on earth.
Location
Place
Movement
Region
Human Environment Interaction

3. Location
Answers the question:
Where are we?

4. Location Describes where places are at on earth. Types of Location:
ABSOLUTE: exact location on earth, doesn’t change (fixed)
Latitude/Longitude
Hemispheres
Grid System
Address
RELATIVE: compared to other places, changes dependent upon where you’re comparing it to (variable)
Miles
Distance
Direction

5. Absolute Location
A latitude and longitude (global location) or street address (local location).
Examples:
Rome is located at 41 N, 12 E.
Argentina is located in the southern hemisphere.
The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

6. Relative Location
Described by landmarks, time, direction or distance. From one place to another.
Examples:
Rome is located near the Mediterranean Sea.
Argentina is near Brazil.
Ecuador is south of Mexico.
Lincoln is 50 miles from Omaha.

7. Place Answers the question:
What is it like there, what kind of place is it?

8. Place A place is defined by it’s unique characteristics.
Physical Characteristics
Landforms (mountains, rivers, etc.), climate, vegetation, wildlife, soil, etc.
Human Characteristics
The main languages, customs, and beliefs.
How many people live, work, and visit a place.

9. Physical Characteristics
The way a place looks.
Created by nature.
Mountains
Rivers, Lakes, Seas
Climate
Vegetation
Examples:
Andes Mountains are in South America.
Amazon River flows through Brazil.
Pampas are located in Argentina.

10. Human Characteristics
Peoples activities change the way a place looks or is represented.
Man-made or invented.
Language
Unique buildings
Religious Practices
Celebrations/traditions/holidays
Examples:
Portuguese is the official language of Brazil.
Many Mexicans are Catholic.
Mayan ruins are located in Mexico.
Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico.

11. Movement Answers the question:
How are people, goods, ideas moved from place to place?

12. Movement Places do not exist in isolation. Human Movement
Trucks, Trains, Planes
Information Movement
Phones, computer ( ), mail
Idea Movement
How do fads move from place to place?
TV, Radio, Magazines, Internet

13. Movement Examples Immigration from Latin America to US (human)
War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people)
Instagram, Twitter, Periscope, Facebook (ideas)
(information)

14. Region Answers the question:
How are regions similar to and different from other places?

15. Region
The world is divided into different regions based upon similarities & differences.
Climate
Location
Beliefs
Languages
Ethnicity/Race
Types:
Formal
Functional
Perceptual

16. Formal Region
Region defined by governmental or administrative boundaries.
States, Counties, Cities
Region defined by similar characteristics (physical or cultural)
Location, Climate, Religion, Language
Examples
Latin America (Spanish-speaking nations)
Tropics (countries located near equator)

17. Functional Region Regions defined by a function. Examples:
Distributes goods/people
Serves specific purpose
Examples:
News paper service area
Cell phone coverage area

18. Perceptual Region
Groups of areas that provoke a certain stereotype or feeling.
Examples:
The Bronx
The “ghetto”
The South
Middle East
Applachian

19. Human Environment Interaction
Answers the question:
How do humans and the environment affect each other?

20. Human Environment Interaction
The environment & people are interconnected
We depend on it.
People depend on the Tennessee River for water and transportation.
We modify it.
People modify our environment by heating and cooling buildings for comfort.
We adapt to it.
We adapt to the environment by wearing clothing suitable for summer (shorts) and winter (coats), rain and shine.

21. Human Environment Interaction
Consequences to those actions depend upon how people choose to interact with the world and use their resources.
Positive/Negative Interactions
Intentional/Accidental Interactions
Favorable/Destructive Interactions

22. Human Environment Interaction
Current Environmental Issues:
Climate Change (global warming)
Energy Resources
Water Conservation
Deforestation

23. Your Assignment “What does each theme look like?”
Use the graphic organizer to visually represent each of the fives themes of geography.
You may ONLY use words to label each circle.
Your picture should clearly describe the theme.
Be creative, and thoughtful.