The 5 Themes of Geography

What is Geography? Physical Geography: The study of earth and its landforms. Cultural Geography: The study of people, their environments, and the resources available to them.

Theme #1 - Location Where a place is on the surface of the earth. Exact location can be found using longitude and latitude. Relative location is where a place is in relation to other places.

Theme #2 - Place Physical features and human characteristics. Physical features are landforms, climate, and animal life. Human characteristics are language, and religious beliefs.

Theme #3 Human-Environment Interaction People are shaped by the places in which they live. How have the people who live in a place “interacted” with the environment? Farming, cutting trees, building roads…

Theme #4 - Movement The movement of people, goods, and ideas links geography and history. Ex: people following buffalo herds for food. Ex. Satellites carrying ideas and information.

Theme #5 - Region Geographers divide the world into regions. Based on physical characteristics and location. Ex. the Rocky Mountain Region, the Mid-west Region.

To sum up… The geography of a place helps to shape the lives of the people who live there Looking at the 5 themes shows us how that has happened. How has the geography of Colorado shaped your life?

QUIZ TIME!!! Look at the variables on the following slides and decide which of the 5 themes of geography they belong with.

QUIZ TIME!!!  Climate  People’s way of life  Trade  Mountains and rivers  A street address  Religion  Building a road  37°N latitude, 127°E longitude  Transportation  Planting vegetables in a garden  Telling someone you live south of Denver  The East Coast of the United States