Transcript The 5 Themes of Geography

The 5 Themes of Geography
WHAT is Geography??
• Geography= the study of people, places and
things on the earth’s surface AND how they
relate to one another.
1. Location
• Location refers to position on the Earth’s
surface. There are 2 types:
• Relative location is a description of where
something on the Earth’s surface.
• Exact Location is the exact position of
someplace on the Earth’s surface.
– Exact location uses latitude & longitude to
locate a place.
Latitude
• Measures distances north or south of the Equator.
• Latitude has a relationship with climate.
• Important lines of latitude are:
– The Equator• 0*
• divides the Earth into Northern & Southern Hemispheres
– Tropic of Cancer• 23 ½*N- the sun is directly overhead when it reaches the northern most
point in the sky
– Tropic of Capricorn• 23 ½*S- the sun is directly overhead when it reaches the southern most point
in the sky
– The area btw the Tropic o f Cancer & The Tropic of Capricorn is
officially termed “the tropics”
Longitude
• Measures distance east & west of the Prime
Meridian
• Longitude has a relationship with time
– Every 15*= 1 hour time change
• Important lines of Longitude are:
– Prime Meridian
• 0*
• Divides the Earth into Eastern & Western Hemispheres
• Passes directly through Greenwich, England
– International Dateline
• 180*
• Each day starts here
2. Place
• Described in terms of physical & human
characteristics
– Physical characteristics= landforms, climate,
soil, animal life
– Human characteristics= ppl’s way of life- their
activities, transportation, religion, languages,
etc
3. Interaction btw People & their
Environment
• How ppl change the world around them &
how ppl adapt to the world around them.
– Hidden costs= actions can produce pollution,
disrupt living organisms, etc
4. Movement
• Of people, goods, & Ideas
–
–
–
–
People migrate
Goods are traded (import v. export)
Ideas spread w/ ppl & goods & today’s mass media
Interdependence- the reliance of countries on goods,
resources, & knowledge from other parts of the world.
5. Realm/ Region
• Geographic realm- defined in terms of total human
geography- a composite of leading cultural,
economic, historical, political, & environmental
features.
– Realms can change over time
– Transition zones- areas where realms meet. There are no
sharp boundaries
• Region- an area w/in a realm w/ unifying features
like physical characteristics, cultural features,
political regions, economic features
– A country can be a part of several regions