Geography

The Five Themes

What is Geography?

• Geography is the study of the world, its people, and the landscapes they create.

MR. LIP

MRLI P

• Movement• Region• Location• Interaction• Place

MovementPeople

• People interact with each other through movement.  – We interact with each other through travel,

trade, information flow (E-Mail), and political events.

MovementGoods

• The import and export of goods and mass communication play major roles in shaping our world.  – We travel from place to place, we

communicate, and trade goods.  – How do we move from place to place?– How do we actually get goods we want?

MovementIdeas

• Not only do humans move but also ideas move; fashions move; fads move.  – What is an example of an idea that moves? Fashion? Fad? – How do we depend on people in other places?   – How would our lives change if our movement options

changed? 

Region

– unit of study in geography that shows a connection in terms of human or physical features.

– Formal – defined lines and borders– Functional – has a function, particular

area/region for a paper route.– Vernacular (perceptual) – people’s

perception

Formal Regions

• Defined by boundaries– Example: United States or The City of

Atlanta.

• These regional boundaries are not open to dispute, therefore physical regions fall under this category– Example: The Rockies, the Great Lakes

States, the Atlantic States.

Functional Regions

• Defined by a function– Example: United Airlines Service area or a

newspaper service area.

• If the function cease to exist, the region could no longer exist.

Vernacular regions

• Loosely defined by people's perception– Example: The South, the MidWest, The

Middle East.

• What are characteristics of the Greater Metro Atlanta Region?  

• What region do you define as the South?  The North? 

• What characteristics and perceptions go along with these regions?

Location

– Relative Location – north of, south of, near the park, around the corner, north of Florida

– Absolute Location – using longitude and latitude or an address.

Absolute Locationlatitude and longitude (a global location) or a street address (local location).

Paris, France is 48.51' North latitude and 2.20' East longitude

Relative LocationLandmark, time, direction or distance from one place to another and may associate a particular place with another.

Human-Environmental Interaction

– Humans adapt to the environment• Example: clothing during different seasons

– Humans modify the environment• Example: build houses, cut down trees, using

air conditioner or heater, etc.

– Humans depend on the environment• Example: natural resources, food, climate, etc.

Discussion

• Given the choice, where would you live?  Why? 

• What is the environment? 

• How do people interact with the environment? 

• How do the physical features affect us?

Discussion

• How have we adapted to or changed our landscape?– Example: in the Sudan even though

everything is seemingly barren, the land still supports farmers and nomadic herders.  People and animals have adapted to a hot, dry climate.

Place

– Physical Characteristics – natural landforms, bodies of water, etc.

– Human Characteristics – man made

Physical Characteristics

• Mountains, rivers, soil, beaches, wildlife, etc.   

Human Characteristics

• Buildings, roads, clothing, and food habits.

Discussion

• How is Atlanta, Georgia connected to other places?

• What are the human and physical characteristics of Atlanta, Georgia?

• How do these characteristics shape our lives?