Thinking Thinking GeographicallyGeographically

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

Why is Geography Why is Geography important?important?

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

How affect you everyday?

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

•Geography and your Geography and your community:community:– Water supplyWater supply– PollutionPollution– Growth managementGrowth management– HousingHousing

Example:Example:Loudoun Water

– Look at environment/ water Look at environment/ water conservationconservation

How does this connect to Ashburn?How does this connect to Ashburn?Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

What is geography?What is geography?

•Coined by EratosthenesCoined by Eratosthenes

•Geo= earthGeo= earth

•Graphy= the study of, to Graphy= the study of, to writewrite

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

Studying Human Geography

• Study of Geography• Study of the earth as

created by natural forces and modified by human action

– Physical Geography• Deals with the Earth’s

natural processes and their outcomes.

– Concerned with climate, weather patterns, landforms, soil formation, and plant and animal ecology

– Human Geography• Deals with the spatial

organization of human activities and with people’s relationships to their environments.

– Covers a wide variety of phenomena

– Example: agricultural production and food security, population change, ecology of human diseases, resource management, environmental pollution, regional planning, and symbolism of places and landscapes

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

STOP!STOP!• Share your Share your

difference between difference between Physical and Physical and Human Geography. Human Geography.

• Be ready to share Be ready to share out. out.

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

5 Themes of Geography5 Themes of Geography

• LocationLocation

• Human Human environment environment interactioninteraction

• RegionRegion

• PlacePlace

• movementmovement

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

1. 1. LocationLocation

Explains where Explains where something is on the something is on the Earth and the effects Earth and the effects that position has on that position has on human lifehuman life– Absolute locationAbsolute location

Lines of latitudeLines of latitude Measured in degrees north Measured in degrees north

or south of the equatoror south of the equator Equator serves as the Equator serves as the

baselinebaseline

Lines of longitudeLines of longitude Measured in degrees east or Measured in degrees east or

west of the prime meridianwest of the prime meridian Prime meridian runs through Prime meridian runs through

Greenwich, EnglandGreenwich, England

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

LocationLocation

– Relative location Is described by Is described by

something’s relationship something’s relationship to the places around itto the places around it

SiteSite Refers to a place’s Refers to a place’s

internal physical internal physical characteristicscharacteristics

SituationSituation Refers to the location of Refers to the location of

a place relative to the a place relative to the physical and cultural physical and cultural places around it places around it

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

SiteSite

The site is the actual location of a settlement on the earth and is composed of the physical characteristics of the landscape specific to the area.

Site factors include things like landforms (i.e. is the area protected by mountains or is there a natural harbor present?), climate, vegetation types, availability of water, soil quality, minerals, and even wildlife.

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

SituationSituation

Situation is defined as the location Situation is defined as the location of a place relative to its of a place relative to its surroundings and other places. surroundings and other places.

Factors included in an area's Factors included in an area's situation include the accessibility of situation include the accessibility of the location, the extent of a place's the location, the extent of a place's connections with another, and how connections with another, and how close an area may be to raw close an area may be to raw materials if they are not located materials if they are not located specifically on the site. specifically on the site. Though its site has made living in Though its site has made living in the nation challenging, Bhutan's the nation challenging, Bhutan's situation has allowed it to maintain situation has allowed it to maintain its policies of isolation as well as its its policies of isolation as well as its own highly separated and own highly separated and traditionally religious culture. traditionally religious culture.

Limitations?

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

STOPSTOP• Discuss the Discuss the

difference between difference between site and situation. site and situation.

• As a group, come As a group, come up with site and up with site and situation situation description for description for Washington DC.Washington DC.

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

2. Human Environment 2. Human Environment InteractionInteraction

Describes how Describes how human activities human activities affect their affect their environment and environment and how how environmental changes impact human lifeimpact human life

Cultural ecologyCultural ecology– Studies the aspects Studies the aspects

and outcomes of and outcomes of human-environment human-environment interactioninteraction

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

STOPSTOP• As a group, think As a group, think

about the following about the following in terms of Human-in terms of Human-Environment Environment Interaction:Interaction:– ClimateClimate– VegetationVegetation– LandformsLandforms

• How sensitive How sensitive should humans be? should humans be? Let’s read and Let’s read and discuss:discuss:– 2 models:2 models:

• NetherlandsNetherlands

• South FloridaSouth Florida

• Anywhere in Anywhere in Virginia?Virginia?

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

3. Region3. Region A region is a A region is a

spatial unit, or spatial unit, or group of places, group of places, that share similar that share similar characteristicscharacteristics

Three types of Three types of regions:regions:

– FormalFormal Area that has common Area that has common

cultural and physical cultural and physical featuresfeatures ““uniform” regionuniform” region Examples:Examples:

The SaharaThe Sahara Map displaying where Map displaying where

Islam is practicedIslam is practiced VirginiaVirginia

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

3 Types of Regions 3 Types of Regions ContinuedContinued

– FunctionalFunctional Group of places linked Group of places linked

together by some type together by some type of movement or functionof movement or function ““nodal” regionnodal” region Examples:Examples:

TV Station/Radio station’s TV Station/Radio station’s reach, Newspapers reach, Newspapers Circulation Circulation

The The nodenode is the place in is the place in the functional region the functional region where the movement where the movement startedstarted

– Perceptual/Perceptual/VernalcularVernalcular Group of places Group of places

linked together linked together because of because of perceptions about perceptions about those placesthose places Example:Example:

““The South”The South”

-Boundaries are -Boundaries are based on opinionsbased on opinions

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

Regional GeographyRegional Geography

– Combines both Combines both physical and human physical and human geographygeography

– Concerned with the Concerned with the way that unique way that unique combinations of combinations of environmental and environmental and human factors human factors produce territories produce territories with distinctive with distinctive landscapes and landscapes and cultural attributescultural attributes

– Concept of region Concept of region used by geographers used by geographers to apply to larger-to apply to larger-sized territories that sized territories that encompass many encompass many placesplaces

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

4. Place4. Place Place refers to all of Place refers to all of

the human and the human and physical attributes in a physical attributes in a locationlocation– Human attributes of Human attributes of

place include:place include: religions, languages, political religions, languages, political

organizations, clothing, and organizations, clothing, and artwork present in a locationartwork present in a location

– Physical attributes Physical attributes include:include: Climate, terrain, and natural Climate, terrain, and natural

resourcesresources

– Human and physical Human and physical traits in a location give it traits in a location give it a “sense of identity”a “sense of identity”Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

STOPSTOP• As a group, come As a group, come

up with a very up with a very generic human and generic human and physical physical description of description of AshburnAshburn

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

5. Movement5. Movement Movement of information, Movement of information,

people, goods, and other people, goods, and other phenomenaphenomena

– Spatial interactionSpatial interaction Analyzing how places interact Analyzing how places interact

with each otherwith each other Friction of distanceFriction of distance

Degree to which distance Degree to which distance interferes or reduces the interferes or reduces the amount of interaction amount of interaction between two placesbetween two places

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography

More MovementMore Movement

– Distance decayDistance decay occurs when the occurs when the

intensity of some intensity of some phenomenon phenomenon decreases as decreases as distance increasesdistance increases Example: sound at Example: sound at

a concert a concert decreases as you decreases as you walk away from walk away from the stagethe stage

– Space-time Space-time compressioncompression Increasing sense that the Increasing sense that the

world is becoming world is becoming “smaller” “smaller”

Humans in distant places Humans in distant places can feel closer together can feel closer together because of improved because of improved communication and communication and transportation the transportation the technologies, which technologies, which reduce the friction of reduce the friction of distancedistance

Identify and Explain the 5 Themes of Geography