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5 Themes of Geography •Place •Location •Region •Movement •Human/Environmental Interaction 5 Themes of Geography Content Objective The student will define and explain examples of the five themes of geography. All places have attributes that give them meaning and character and distinguish them from other places on earth. Geographers describe place by two specific definitions: Physical Characteristics The physical characteristics of a place make up its natural environment and are derived from geological, hydrological, atmospheric, and biological processes. They include land forms, bodies of water, climate, soils, natural vegetation, and animal life. Human Characteristics: The human characteristics of a place come from human ideas and actions. They include bridges, houses, and parks. Human characteristics of place also include land use, density of population, language patterns, religion, architecture, and political systems. All places have characteristics that give them meaning and character and distinguish them from other places on earth. Geographers describe places by their physical and human characteristics. Physical characteristics include such elements as animal life. Human characteristics of the landscape can be noted in architecture, patterns of livelihood, land use and ownership, town planning, and communication and transportation networks. Languages, as well as religious and political ideologies, help shape the character of a place. Studied together, the physical and human characteristics of places provide clues to help students understand the nature of places on the earth. Physical Characteristics Those physical features about a place that make it unique Physical Characteristics Where are these places?? Physical Characteristics Where would you find these animals?? Physical Characteristics What are some of the physical characteristics that make Leland unique Human Characteristics Human Characteristics: The human characteristics of a place come from human ideas and actions. They include bridges, houses, and parks. Human characteristics of place also include land use, density of population, language patterns, religion, architecture, and political systems. Human Characteristics political systems Human Characteristics Architecture Human Characteristics Human Characteristics Location is the second theme of Geography. Location describes where something is, and is broken into two areas: Absolute Location: answers the questions: Where is it? Absolute location is nothing more than a simple dot--often identified as a grid coordinate on the surface of the earth. Latitude and Longitude can be used to pinpoint a location. For example, the absolute location of New Orleans, Louisiana, is 30 degrees north, 90 degrees west. Finding absolute location is the starting point for geographic research. Location is the second theme of Geography. Location describes where something is, and is broken into two areas: Relative Location: answers the question of where a place is located in relation to other places. For example, New Orleans is located at the place where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, which gives it easy access to ocean and river shipping. Your home has a relative location. Where is it located in relation to schools, stores, and convenient transportation? Absolute Location in practice Absolute Location in practice Not very accurate in the beginning Absolute Location in practice Satellite and Global Positioning Systems Relative Location in practice Near what city?? •Regions are created by geographers to helps study place – to describe and compare them, for example. •Various features are used to classify a place as a region. •A region shares the same physical feature(s) — such as land, climate, natural resources, vegetation — or cultural feature(s) — such as language, history, population, or religion. •Boundaries of regions change, depending on what characteristic(s) are being examined. One of the most basic regions used by geographers is continents. Regions Based on Physical Features Language Regions Population Density and Ethnic Regions •The theme of movement addresses this question: How and why are places connected with one another? •Relationships between people in different places are shaped by the constant movement of people, ideas, materials, and physical systems such as wind, climate, and volcanoes. Movement of People: Immigration/Emigration, Urbanization, and Population Movement of Land: Plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes Movement of People: Understanding the patterns of human movement, the causes, and outcomes of that movement, and the process of that movement Movement of Land: •Refers to how people affect their environment. •Humans adapt to and modify their environment for survival. •Different societies interact with their environment differently. The earth’s vegetation zones, natural resources, and energy development play a significant role in the development of a society. Humans have settled in virtually every corner of the world by successfully adapting to various natural settings. For example, people who live in the northeastern United States use heating units to keep their homes warm in winter People in the southern part of the country use air conditioning much of the year to stay cool in the heat. The ways people choose to adapt to their settings reflect their economic and political circumstances and their technological abilities. Desert How would people need to adapt to or modify their environment to survive in the desert? Desert Savanna Tropical How would people need to adapt to or modify their environment to survive in these other places? What about here? Prairie How have people adapted to or modified these environoments? What kinds of modifications are illustrated here? 5 Themes of Geography •Place •Location •Region •Movement •Human/Environmental Interaction 5 Themes of Geography Content Objective The student will define and explain examples of the five themes of geography.