The Five

Themes of

Geography

Unit 14 min

Essential Questions

1. Why is it important to study geography?

2. How do the 5 Themes of Geography help explain our world?

3. Why do we use globes & maps?

Unit Objectives

By the end of the unit, you will:

1. Create tools to illustrate geographical information (6.1.01)

2. Use tools to answer geography questions (6.1.02)

3. Use geographical tools to compare countries (6.1.03)

4. Use map & globe reading skills (SS.3.01)

How do you see the

world?

Take the next few

minutes & draw a map

of the world.

Be sure to include

everything that you

know or can remember

Label & color your map

Student Name: ________________________________________________________ Class: ________________ Date: _______________________________

.Label the 7 Continents (C) & 4 Major Oceans . Color Lines of Longitude—Blue

.Label the Hemispheres (H) . Color Lines of Latitude—Brown

.Color the Equator - Red . Draw a Compass Rose in the bottom

.Color the Prime Meridian - Green right hand corner

C:

C:

C:

C:

C:C:

C:

O:

O:

O:

O:

H:

H:

H:

H:

2.5 min

O:

Unit Vocabulary

1. latitude: the distance in degrees that a place is north or south of the Equator

2. longitude: the distance in degrees that a place is east or west of the Prime Meridian (Greenwich, England)

3. hemisphere: one half of the Earth’s sphere that is either divided by the Equator or Prime Meridian

4. compass rose: device printed on a map showing the points of the compass measured from true north

5. key: a table explaining the symbols & colors used in a map6. meridian: one of the imaginary lines joining the North &

South Poles (aka longitude)7. parallel: any of the imaginary lines representing degrees of

latitude measuring distance from the equator8. cardinal direction: north, south, east, & west9. scale: the ratio of a distance on a map to the actual distance

on the ground

DEFINITION OF GEOGRAPHY

ge-og-ra-phyA science that deals with the

description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, & cultural features of the earth’s surface

4 min

IN PLAIN ENGLISH

Geography is the

study of the earth

and everything on it.

Parts of a MapMost maps have the

following elements,

which are necessary

to read and

understand them

3.75 min

1. Title

Explains the subject of

the map and gives

you an idea of what

information the map

conveys

2. Compass Rose

a. Shows directions on a map

b. Cardinal directions are north, south, east, and west

c. Intermediate directions are northeast, northwest, southwest, and southeast

1 min

3. Labels

Words or phrases

that explain

features on the

map

4. Legend or Key

Lists and explains

the symbols and

use of color on

the map

5. ScaleShows the ratio between a unit of length on

the map and a unit of distance on the earth

1.75 min

Types of Scale

1. Verbal Expression

Ex: 1 in equals 500 miles

2. Representative Fraction

Ex: 1:500

3. Graphic Scale

6. Symbols

Represent items

such as capital

cities, economic

activities, or

natural

resources

7. Colors

Colors represent a

variety of

information on a

map. The map

legend indicates

what the colors

mean.

Globes

&

Maps

6 min

Advantages of Maps

1. Maps are cheaper than globes

2. Maps show detail

3. Maps can show themes (thematic maps) and be used for comparing things

4. Maps can be put into a book called an atlas

5. Maps are portable

2 min

Disadvantages of Maps

1. Maps are distorted because the

earth is not flat

2. Maps can distort shape, area,

direction, and distance

3. This problem is somewhat solved

by different map projections

Different Types of Maps

1. Political Maps

2. Physical Maps

3. Topographic Maps

4. Thematic Maps

5. Cartograms

1. Political MapsPolitical maps show man-made features

such as cities, states, provinces,

territories, or countries

2. Physical MapsPhysical maps help you see the type of

landforms and bodies of water in a specific area

3. Thematic Maps

Thematic maps

show specific

types of

information

Examples:

1. Natural Resources

2. Language

3. Ethnicity

4. Climate

5. Precipitation

6. Vegetation

Globes

3-Dimensional representations of the earth

1. Advantages of Globes

a. Globes are more accurate than maps

b. Globes are not distorted

2. Disadvantages of Globes

a. Globes are not portable

b. Globes do not show detail

c. Globes are more expensive

than maps

d. There are no thematic globes

5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

5.75 min

WHERE DID THE 5 THEMES

COME FROM?

The 5 Themes of Geography originated

by the National Geographic Society to

fulfill a need for geographers (people

who study the earth and everything

on it) to categorize knowledge about

the Earth

Remembering the 5 Themes

• If you can’t remembering what they are

just ask MR. HELP!!!• M – Movement

• R – Regions

• HE – Human Environment Interaction

• L – Location

• P - Place2.5 min

Theme 1: Location

• Where is It?

• Why is It There?

Two Types of Location

1. Absolute

2. Relative

Absolute & Relative Location

1. Latitude and Longitude lines are used to find absolute location. This is an exact point on the earth.

2. Relative location is NOT an exact location. People use direction and distance to give a general idea of where something is.

Absolute Location

1. A specific place on the Earth’s surface

2. Uses a grid system

3. Latitude and Longitude

4. A global address

North CarolinaAbsolute Location

• North Carolina

36° N Latitude

79° W longitude

• Chapel Hill

35° 55' N Latitude

79° 05' W Longitude

Relative Location

1. Where a place is in

relation to another

place

2. Uses directional words

to describe

a. Cardinal Directions

b. Intermediate Directions

North Carolina

• North Carolina is bordered by Virginia on the north, South Carolina and Georgia on the south, and Tennessee on the west.

• The Atlantic Ocean forms North Carolina's eastcoast.

• North Carolina is one of the Southeastern States

3 min

A. Lines of Latitude1. Imaginary lines that

measure distance north or

south of the equator and

run from east to west on the

map.

2. These lines are also called

parallels because they do

not touch.

1 min3.25 min

Important Lines of Latitudea. The Equator - 0°

b. The Tropic of Cancer - 23º

26’ N

c. The Tropic of Capricorn -

23º 26’ S

d. The Arctic Circle - 66° 33’

N

e. The Antarctic Circle - 66°

33’ S

B. Lines of Longitude

1. Imaginary lines that

measure distance east or

west of the Prime Meridian

2. Run from north to south on

the map

3. Lines connect at the North

and South Poles

4. Also called meridians.

Theme 2: PlaceA. Physical Characteristics1. Land Features

2. Mountains, plains,

and plateaus

3. Climate

4. Bodies of Water

2 min

North Carolina:

Physical

Characteristics

Theme 2: PlaceB. Human Characteristics

1. People

2. Culture

3. Language

4. Religion

5. Buildings and

Landmarks

6. Cities

North Carolina:

Human Characteristics

Theme 3: Human

Environment InteractionHow People Interact With

Their Environment

People . . .

• Adapt to Their

Environment

• Modify Their Environment

• Depend on Their

Environment

2 min

North Carolina: Human Environment

Interaction3.5 min

Theme 4: Movement

1. How places are linked to one another and the world

2. The mobility of:

People

Goods

Ideas

2.75 min

North Carolina: Movement

2.25 min

Theme 5: Regions

What Places Have in

Common

Examples

Political Regions

Landform Regions

Agricultural Regions

Cultural Regions

3.75 min

North Carolina: Regions2 min

Unit Summary• Geography is the study of the earth

and everything on it.

• 5 Themes of Geography

MR. HELP!!!M – Movement

R – Regions

HE – Human Environment interaction

L – Location

P - Place