5 Themes of Geography & the tool of Geography

GEOGRAPHERS TOOLBOX

5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

• Location- Where is it?

• Place- What is it like?

• Region- How are places similar or different?

• Human-Environment Interaction- How do people relate to the physical world?

• Movement- How do people, goods, and ideas move from one location to another?

LOCATION- WHERE IS IT?

• Absolute Location- exact place on earth

• Use lines of latitude and longitude

to find absolute location

• Relative Location- where something is related to another thing

PLACE- WHAT IS IT LIKE?

• Physical features and cultural characteristics of a location.

• Physical features- climate, landforms, ect…

• Cultural characteristics- what are the people like

REGION- HOW ARE PLACES SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT?

• Area with similar characteristics

• Physical, political, economic, or cultural characteristics

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HUMAN/ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION- HOW DO PEOPLE RELATE TO THE PHYSICAL WORLD?

• The relationship between humans & their enviroment

• Using natural resources

MOVEMENT- HOW DO PEOPLE, GOODS, AND IDEAS MOVE?

• Linear Distance- how far away is something in a straight line

• Time Distance- how long it takes something to travel

• Psychological Distance- familiar things seem closer than they actually are

GEOGRAPHER’S TOOLS- MAPS, GLOBES AND DATA

• Globe:

• Three-dimensional

• Shows earth as it travels through space

• Can only see one side at a time

• Not easy to carry

MAPS

• Two-dimensional

• Portable

• Able to be drawn to scale

• But maps are flat and the earth is not

TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

• General map, showing natural and man made features

THEMATIC MAP

• Shows specific information

• Climate, population, religion, ect…

HOW WOULD THIS THEMATIC MAP HELP GEOGRAPHERS UNDERSTAND THE 5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY?

TECHNOLOGY IN GEOGRAPHY

• Surveying:

• Satellites gather map data and computers translate the data into images for maps

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)

• Computer data base that stores geographic info

• Used to look at many different types of maps and decide where to build new structures

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS)

• Satellites send signals to a handheld unit telling you exactly where you are