The Five Themes of Geography Geographers have Geographers have

identified five identified five themes that can be themes that can be used to examine the used to examine the role that geography role that geography plays in our lives and plays in our lives and in human geography in human geography and world historyand world history

Location-serves as a starting point by asking, “Where is it?” To be more specific there are two types of location

Absolute location Absolute location refers to the exact refers to the exact location on the globe location on the globe measured by latitude measured by latitude and longitude.and longitude.

Relative locationRelative location is is less precise. Relative less precise. Relative location is where a location is where a place is in relation to place is in relation to somewhere else.somewhere else.

Place PlacePlace refers to those refers to those

features that give an area its features that give an area its own identity or personality. own identity or personality. These can be:These can be:

PhysicalPhysical characteristics-such characteristics-such as landforms,weather,as landforms,weather,

plants,and animalsplants,and animals

Place

Human Human characteristics-characteristics-language,religion, architecture, language,religion, architecture, music or politicsmusic or politics

Toponyms: The idea that place names Toponyms: The idea that place names reflect the culture and heritage of reflect the culture and heritage of that placethat place

Places are commonly named after: Places are commonly named after: Older places (New York, New Orleans, etc) Older places (New York, New Orleans, etc) Important People (Washington, Jefferson, Important People (Washington, Jefferson,

San Francisco, etc) San Francisco, etc) Characteristics of the place (Las Vegas (the Characteristics of the place (Las Vegas (the

meadows), Colorado, Rocky Mountains) meadows), Colorado, Rocky Mountains) History of the area/Native traditions and History of the area/Native traditions and

groups (Cheyenne, Kansas, Miami)groups (Cheyenne, Kansas, Miami)

This wall separated East Berlin from West Berlin from 1961 to 1990. How would the wall affect German’s “sense of place?”

Human /Environment Interaction

Human/Environment Human/Environment Interaction Interaction focuses on how focuses on how people respond to and alter their people respond to and alter their environment. To live comfortably environment. To live comfortably in many parts of the world, in many parts of the world, people must make changes to the people must make changes to the environment, or adapt to environment, or adapt to conditions or both. conditions or both.

How people choose to adapt to How people choose to adapt to their areas depends on their their areas depends on their attitudes to the natural setting, attitudes to the natural setting, and the technology available to and the technology available to change it.change it.

Heavy monsoons flood the streets of India’s capital, New Delhi. How do the monsoons affect the life of people in India?

Movement (Diffusion) The movement of people, ideas, and things The movement of people, ideas, and things

between places means that events in other between places means that events in other places of the world can have an impact on you places of the world can have an impact on you personallypersonally

Trains, ships, roads, airplanes link people Trains, ships, roads, airplanes link people throughout the world and products and people throughout the world and products and people can be sent around the globecan be sent around the globe

The movement of people is important because it The movement of people is important because it can spread ideas, diseases, and culture from one can spread ideas, diseases, and culture from one place to another. Sometimes those ideas are place to another. Sometimes those ideas are accepted in the new location and the culture is accepted in the new location and the culture is changedchanged

Christian missionaries from America brought the game of baseball to Japan. What other ideas, products, or people

have moved from one place to another?

Region A A region region is an area that is is an area that is unified by some feature or unified by some feature or mix of features It is used to mix of features It is used to generalize about the Earth in generalize about the Earth in physical or human terms. A physical or human terms. A culture region is one that culture region is one that shares a common history, shares a common history, culture, religion or language. culture, religion or language. Other regions could be Other regions could be economic, or political.economic, or political.

The Middle East is an example of a region unified by a common language,

Arabic.

Three Types of Regions

Formal (uniform or homogeneous) Regions have quantifiable characteristics in common have defined borders

Examples: Colorado, the Bible Belt, Climate Regions

Functional (nodal) Regions are defined by movement around a central hub

Examples: TV Viewing Area, Airport

Vernacular (perceptual) Regions Based on people’s perception of an area Different people have different perceptions (cultural identity)

Examples: the South, East Coast

Geography’s Impact on History and Humans

While studying World While studying World History or Human History or Human Geography, you will be Geography, you will be learning about the people, learning about the people, events and themes that events and themes that have shaped the past. Keep have shaped the past. Keep in mind the themes and in mind the themes and how they fashion the how they fashion the world in which we live.world in which we live.

Five Themes of GeographyExplain using examples how all the themes affect your way of life.