5 Themes of Geography

Location Latitude (parallels): circle the Earth parallel to the Equator-measure distance north or south of Equator Equator=0 degrees

Location Cont… Tropic of Cancer: 23 ½ degrees N Tropic of Capricorn: 23 ½ degrees S limits of the tropics Longitude (meridians): Lines from pole to pole and measure distance east and west of Prime Meridian

Absolute Location Exact locations Lines of latitude and longitude cross and form a grid system-easy to find exact places Baltic, SD is located at about 98 degrees West and 48 degrees North

Relative Location Location of a place in relation to another place Baltic is about 15 miles north of Sioux Falls

Place “What is it like there?” Physical features=land, water, weather, soil, and plant and animal life Human features-# and kinds of people

Human/Environment Interaction “What is the relationship between people and their environment?” Every place has desirable and undesirable places What attracts people to a certain place? How do people adapt to their environment? How do people change their environment How have people created problems with their environment?

Movement “How are people and places connected?” Why do people move? How do people move? The movement of goods, info, and ideas Interdependent: relying on each other for goods services and ideas

Region Geographers divide the Earth into regions based on physical features- mountains/rivers-and also human characteristics-the way people are governed of their language

2 Types of Regions 1. Uniform region: has boundaries determined by the distribution of some uniform characteristics Example: corn-hog-cattle belt of Iowa and Illinois 2. Functional region: focuses on a central point and surrounding area connected by roads. Example: metropolitan area surrounding a city