The Five Themes of Geography How geographers look

The Five Themes of Geography How geographers look at the world…

Why study geography? n n n To understand more about the changing world we live in To learn more about the people and cultures of the world so that we can better understand each other To evaluate the connection between the earth and those who live on it

What are the Five Themes of Geography? n The concepts that geographers use to study the world and the people that inhabit it. n They are all connected; Use all five themes to truly understand the geography of a place n The 5 themes are: location, place, movement, humanenvironment interaction, and region

Location Asks the question: Where is it? Here’s Madagascar!

Can be absolute location, which uses a system to find an exact spot on the earth. Examples: latitude and longitude, address with zip codes, GPS, map coordinates

► Turner Field is located at 755 Hank Aaron Drive

Can be relative location, which uses descriptions to find places on the earth. Example: I live in Marietta near the Big Chicken.

THE BIG CHICKEN!

The girl lived at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Place Asks: What is it like? This can be described physically or culturally.

Can be physical features • Climate – temperature, rainfall • Landforms – plateaus, plains • Topography - elevation • Flora - plants • Fauna - animals • Resources – petroleum, gemstones

Can be human characteristics

Current photograph of Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia

Place For example, how would you describe Marietta, Georgia?

Movement How do people, goods and ideas get from one place to another?

Examples of Movement ► Trading products between countries ► Migration of people to new areas ► Buying clothes over the internet ► Face-timing with someone overseas ► Coming to school on the bus this morning

Movement can be intangible: religion, ideas, disease

Human Environment Interaction How do people interact with the physical world?

People learn to use what the environment has to offer and change the environment to meet their needs.

Region Are there common characteristics of a given area?

There are three different types of regions: formal, functional, and vernacular • Formal Region – defined by a limited number of characteristics EX: The Corn belt in the US Is characterized by a specific climate, land use patterns, and resources.

• Functional Region – serves a particular purpose and has specific BOUNDARIES! • Organized around a set of interactions and connections between places. EX: METRO ATLANTA

• Vernacular Region (Perceptual) – people’s perceptions (NO specific BOUNDARIES!) Regions can overlap!! Is Texas in the “South” OR the “West”? --Depends on how you feel!

ON YOUR POSTER n Write theme at top of page (distinct and sizeable) n Write question being asked n Give examples of your theme that help explain everything on your clue sheet. n Draw a picture to illustrate your theme n Visually pleasing, neat, informative n All group members must be able to explain your theme in your own words n A rough draft must be ok’ed by me before you make poster

LOCATION n Question asked: Where is it? n Can be… n Absolute location: uses a system to show an exact spot on earth’s surface. n Relative location: uses descriptions to find places on earth’s surface. n Give an example of each on your poster Think: How do you know where things are?

PLACE n Question asked: What is it like? n A place can be described physically or culturally. n Choose a well known place to describe for your poster Think: What does it look like? What are the people like?

MOVEMENT n Question asked: How do things get from one place to another? Think: Are all of these “things” tangible? What else moves throughout the world besides people?

REGION n Question asked: What areas share common characteristics? n Regions are imaginary borders that include areas that share things in common Think: Do characteristics have to be tangible things? Are borders created for regions definite and distinct? How do people’s perceptions impact regions?

HUMAN ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION n Question asked: How do people interact with the physical world? n How do we use the environment to our advantage? Think: What are positives and negatives to human interaction with the environment?