5 Themes of Geography

Geography Geography is the study of: –People, the places they live, and how they all interact.

5 Themes 5 themes of Geography LocationPlace Human- Environment Interaction MovementRegion

Location and Place Location gives a definite location –Absolute or Relative locations Place - describes the human/ physical characteristics –Describes mountains, rivers, deserts, etc. –Ex. Ashburn is flat and heavily populated with few rivers. It also has people from many different nations Location and place are different because… –One describes WHERE you are –The other describes WHAT your place is like

Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, and Region Human-Environment Interaction –Explains how humans adapt and modify their environment to better suit their needs –Ex. Air conditioning or leveling land for housing Movement looks at how and why humans move around the world and what they bring with them –Ex. Cultural diffusion and migration Regions are units of geographic study –Formal regions- clearly defined regions (countries) –Functional regions- defined by connections Ex. DC Metro Area – connected by the Beltway –Vernacular regions- no formal boundaries, but known Ex. The Midwest or The South or Northern VA

NOW LETS SING ALONG TO THE 5 Themes of Geography Song! I know you are super excited I know you are super excited

the Global Grid Latitude & Longitude : the Global Grid An imaginary grid of lines used to find location Can be found on most maps throughout the world It is a uniform measurement (all countries use it)

LATITUDE Imaginary lines that run Across the earth Parallel - they never touch!!! They measure distance North or South of the equator

L A TITUDE A = ACROSS !!!!!!! FROM LEFT TO RIGHT

Remember - THEY ARE LONG Measure distance East or West of the Prime Meridian Intersect above the North and South Pole (Run Up & Down on a map) - Usually!!!

Reading Latitude and Longitude When reading maps for location, you must use latitude and longitude to locate your destination Latitude always comes first, then Longitude –Ex. 40 N, 160 E or 27 S, 17 E Use the worksheets given to practice finding location Use the sheet to define and sketch the different types of geographic features

Want another song?? If not too bad

Types of Land Forms

Island – land area that is surrounded by water Long Island Archipelago – chain of islands Hawaiian Islands

Cape – Narrow point of land that extends into a body of water Cape Cod, MA Peninsula – piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides Florida

Hill – area of raised land that is lower and more rounded than a mountain Hills Acadia National Park Maine Mountain – high, steep, rugged land that rises sharply above the surrounding land. Mount McKinley, Alaska

Plain – broad area of fairly level land that is generally close to sea level Plains Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation Wyoming Plateau – large area of high, flat, or gently rolling land Bateke Plateau Gabon, Africa

Desert – area that has little or no moisture or vegetation Sahara Desert, Africa Coast – land that borders the sea Jones Beach

Continent – any of seven large land masses on the Earth’s surface South America Antarctica Australia Asia Europe North America Africa Sub-continent – an area of land that is part of a continent but is separated by something (landform, language, etc. India Central (Latin) America

Isthmus – narrow strip of land joining two large land areas or joining a peninsula to a mainland. Isthmus of Panama Strait – narrow channel that connects two larger bodies of water Strait of Gibraltar

Tributary – stream or small river that flows into a larger stream or river River – large stream of water that empties into an ocean, lake, or another river Hudson and Mohawk Rivers tributary map of Lake Erie

Bay – part of a body of water that is partly enclosed by land Jamaica Bay Gulf – arm of an ocean or sea that is partly enclosed by land, usually larger than a bay. Gulf of Mexico

Lake – body of fresh water surrounded by land Great Lakes Sea – large body of salt water that is smaller than an ocean Black Sea

Ocean – any of the large bodies of salt water on the Earth’s surface. A B C D Pacific Ocean Atlantic Ocean Arctic Ocean Indian Ocean