5 Themes of Geography

Region

Human-Environment Interaction

Movement

Place

Location

Definition

WHERE a place IS

You can find location using..

Relative Location

Absolute Location

Finding the latitude and longitude

Using relative location by describing where a place is in terms of other places

Definition: Place describes the physical and human characteristics of a location

Can be described in two ways

Physical Characteristics: describe the natural environment. Ex. climate - hot or cold

Human Characteristics: describe the people of a place, both past and present. Ex. how many people live there, what they do for work

Definition: H-E Interaction describes how people change their environment and how the environment changes the way that people live

Interaction can be looked at in 3 ways

People DEPEND on their environment. Ex. Rice farmers depend on the wet weather to grow their crops

People ADAPT to their environment. Ex. Stilt houses in Burma allow people to live in tidal areas where fishing is better

People MODIFY their environment Ex forests in Brazil have been cleared so people

Definition: Region describes an area with similar cultural or physical characteristics that set it apart from other areas.

can be described in three ways

Functional Regions: are made up of a single place and the surroundings regions tied up to it Ex: Chicago is a big city suburbs are in the city.

Formal Regions: are identified by official boundaries and include cities, counties, states, and countries. They are clearly known and can be inside each other. Ex. Havre is in Hill County in Montana

Vernacular Regions; are areas that don't have a formal boundary but are commonly known regions. Ex. the west in the United States

Definition: describes how goods, idea, information, and people migrate.

Movement could be done LOCALLY, NATIONALLY, or even GLOBALLY.