5+Themes+of+Geography

THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY- the study of earth and how people interact with it

1. Location
Relative Location -using places to describe other places. landmarks, time, direction or distance from one place to another and may associate a particular place with another

Absolute Location latitude and longitude (a global location) or a street address (local location)

2. Place
Human Characteristics-product of human changes Physical Characteristics -landforms

What kind of place is it? What do you think of when you imagine China? Japan? Russia? Saudi Arabia?

 Places have both human and physical characteristics, as well as images.

Physical characteristics include mountains, rivers, beaches, wildlife, and soil. Places have human characteristics also. These characteristics are derived from the ideas and actions of people that result in changes to the environment, such as buildings, roads, clothing, and food habits.

3. Human-Environmental Interactions
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Humans adapt to the environment

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Humans modify the environment

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Humans depend on the environment

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">How do humans and the environment affect each other? We change the environment and then sometimes Mother Nature changes it back. For example, floods in the mid-West, Hurricane Emily, and earthquakes and mudslides in California. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">There are three key concepts to human/environmental interaction: <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Humans adapt on the environment. Humans modify the environment. Humans depend on the environment. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">People depend on the Hudson River for transportation. People modify our environment by heating and cooling buildings for comfort. People adapt to the environment by wearing clothing that is suitable for summer and winter; rain and shine. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">All places on Earth have advantages and disadvantages for human settlement. One person's advantage may be another person's disadvantage. Some like the excitement of large cities whereas others prefer remoteness. Environment is not just trees, spotted owls, and rain forests. Environment is a feeling. What is the environment of a big city? New York? Boston? Los Angeles? Dallas? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Given the choice, where would you live? Why? What is the environment? How do people interact with the environment? How do the physical features affect us? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">How have we adapted to or changed our landscape? For example, in the Sudan even though everything is seemingly barren, the land sustains farmers and nomadic herders. People and animals have adapted to a hot, dry climate.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">4. Movement
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">People move around the world

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Goods are imported and exported

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Ideas are shared with others (remember the Power Point) <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">The movement of people, the import and export of goods, and mass communication has all played major roles in shaping our world. People everywhere interact. They travel from place to place and they communicate. We live in a global village and global economy.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">People interact with each other through movement. Humans occupy places unevenly on Earth because of the environment but also because we are social beings. We interact with each other through travel, trade, information flows (E-Mail) and political events. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Not only do humans move but also ideas move; fashions move; fads move. What is an example of an idea that moves? Fashion? Fad? How do we depend on people in other places? How would our lives change if our movement options changed? What would happen if we traveled by camel or horse? How do we move from place to place? How do we actually get food?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">5. Regions
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">A region is the basic unit of study in geography. A region is an area that displays a coherent unity in terms of the government, language, or possibly the landform or situation. Regions are human constructs that can be mapped and analyzed. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">What region do we live in? What type of region is it? What are its characteristics?