The Five Themes of Geography

1. Location2. Place3. Human-Environment

Interaction4. Movement5. Regions

Theme 1: Location

• Where is It?• Why is It There?

Two Types of Location

•Absolute

•Relative

Absolute Location

• A specific place on the Earth’s surface• Uses a grid system• Latitude and longitude• A global address

Absolute Location - Longitude• Measured in degrees E

or W of the Prime Meridian (0° - runs through Greenwich, England)

• 0° and 180° do not use direction

• The distance between lines of Longitude is larger towards the Equator and they converge at the poles

Absolute Location - Longitude

69 miles

35 miles

Absolute Location - Latitude• Measured in degrees

N or S of the Equator (0° - runs around the “center” of the globe)

• North Pole = 90° N South Pole = 90° S

• 0° does not use direction

• The distance between all lines of Latitude is equal– Each degree is

approximately 69 miles

Absolute LocationLatitude and Longitude are

measured in:Degrees ° - Minutes ’ - Seconds ”

Great Valley High School•Latitude40°N 3’ 26.40”•Longitude75°W 34’ 3.14”

Relative Location

• Where a place is in relation to another place

• Often uses directional words to describe– Cardinal and

intermediate directions

Relative Location• The United States is bordered to its

NORTH by Canada and to its SOUTH by Mexico

• The Atlantic Ocean forms the US EAST coast and the Pacific Ocean its WEST coast.

• The United States is in the WESTERN HEMISPHERE

• The US is in NORTH AMERICA

Theme 2: Place• Place describes the human and

physical characteristics of a location.

Theme 2: PlacePhysical Characteristics• Physical characteristics include a

description such things as the mountains, rivers, beaches, topography, and animal and plant life of a place.

Theme 2: PlaceHuman Characteristics• Human characteristics include the

human-designed cultural features of a place, from land use and architecture, to forms of livelihood and religion, to food and folk ways, to transportation and communication networks.

Theme 3: Human Environment Interaction

How People Interact With Their Environment

People . . .• Adapt to Their Environment• Modify Their Environment• Depend on Their Environment

Pennsylvania: Human Environment Interaction

•Adapt To Their Environment• Kinzua Dam – Allegany Forest

Pennsylvania: Human Environment Interaction

• Modify Their Environment• Schuylkill Canal - Phoenixville

Pennsylvania: Human Environment Interaction

• Depend on Their Environment• Amish Farmer in Lancaster

Theme 3: Human Environment InteractionThis can also result in NEGATIVE results

Theme 4: Movement

The Mobility of• People• Goods• Ideas

How Places are linked to one another and the world

Pennsylvania: Movement

Theme 5: Regions

What Places Have in Common

• Political Regions• Landform Regions• Agricultural Regions• Cultural Regions

Theme 5: Regions

• Political Regions

Theme 5: Regions

• Landform• Regions

Theme 5: Regions

• Agricultural Regions

Theme 5: Regions• Cultural Regions

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