The Five Themes of Geography

1. The Five Themes of Geography Social Studies

2. The Five Themes of Geography: Location Place Region Movement Human/Environment Interaction

3. Location Where are things located. There are two types of location: Absolute location Relative location

4. Absolute Location can be stated as coordinates of longitude and latitude An example would be 15* 20' North, 20* 15' West Can also be stated as an address An example would be 207 Manchester Street, Nashua, NH

5. Relative Location It's in the Northeast Across the street from the bank 10 minutes south of Boston Relative Location gives a comparison or description

6. Usefulness Relative location is more useful for describing things. If I just told you that New York was located at 40* N 73* W, you probably couldn't picture that in your head. If I told you that it was in the North-Eastern United States, you could probably imagine it much better. Absolute location is more exact

7. Place What makes a place different from other places? Place can be defined in terms of physical differences or human differences

8. Physical differences Physical differences, or characteristics, include things that occur naturally, such as mountains, rivers, type of soil, wildlife, climate etc.

9. Example You might describe a place as flat with rich soil and many rivers. This is basic, but already we can see a picture of it in our heads, and maybe even begin to imagine what the land is used for.

10. Human Differences Human differences, or characteristics, are things that have changed due to people, such as roads and buildings, how people live and their traditions.

11. Example This is where you can really go to town in your description. You can discuss the cities, lifestyle, culture, religion, tradition and all sorts of other interesting facts that make the place you are talking about different and special.

12. Human-Environment Interaction This is about the relationship between people and their environment, or how they exist together. It answers a lot of important questions: What effects have the people had on their environment? How has the environment affected them, do they depend on it for anything? What changes have they made to their environment to make it easier to live in?

13. Human-Environment Ineractions How people have been changed by the environment can be called adaptation. It is the way humans or other organisms change to suit their environment.

14. Examples people who live in very cold climates wear well-insulated clothes to keep warm. the way people transport things: in a desert the best way to transport some things is by camel.

15. Human Interaction with the Environment How the environment has been changed is how people change their environment to suit themselves. Sometimes the Environment throws us a �curve ball� like a hurricane or a tornado or a flood. Our lives can be changed by the environment.

16. Examples Examples: artificially watering your lawn, if you live in a dry area creating fertile land in desert areas to grow food crops clearing forests to make room for growing crops

17. Human Interaction with the Environment Depending on or relying on the environment is when people need their environment for something. Everything we need, we have to get from the earth. These are known as natural resources. Some resources are renewable and some are non-renewable

18. Examples using trees for firewood, or coal to warm us in winter Using rivers to transport goods and natural resources like oil and coal, to sell or exchange for other needed items that are not available.