5 Themes of Geography

Location
LOCATION in geography is divided into two types: Relative and
Exact/Absolute.

● Relative Location is describing a place in relation to other places.

○ Example: The Great Wall is located near Beijing in northern China.
○ Example: My house is across the street from the mall on the northside of town.

● Exact (Absolute) Location is the exact point on the earth where a place
is located.
○ Today, we use GPS (Global Positioning System) to help us find an exact
location.
○ Using this, we are finding exact latitude and longitude, giving us a very specific
place on the earth.
 Relative Location
Relative Location is describing a place in relation to other places.
○ Example: The Great Wall is located near Beijing in northern China.
○ Example: My house is across the street from the mall on the northside of town.
○ Example: To get from my house to the grocery store, you leave my driveway and take
a right, go down the road about 1 mile, turn left at the red light and travel another mile,
then turn left into the shopping center.
○ Example: Muscle Shoals, AL is about 70 miles east of Huntsville, AL.

You can use relative location in a broad or narrow sense.

We use relative location all the time! This is how we give and use
directions in our everyday lives.
 Your Turn
1. Choose a business in your town and explain how to get there from your school using relative location.

2. Explain how to get to your house from your school using relative location.

3. Choose your favorite restaurant in your town. Explain how to get to that restaurant from your house using
relative location.
 Absolute Location
Absolute/Exact Location is the exact point of a place using latitude and longitude.

Can you think of any Answer Here:

situations in which
absolute location would be
needed?

Can you think of any jobs

who use absolute location
regularly?
 Key Terms
There are a few key terms we must know and understand before we can
apply latitude and longitude.

On the following slides, you will find terms and a graphic to help us get
ready to use absolute location!
 Key Terms
Direction:
● Direction is the pathway along which an
object is moving. Direction is also the
location of a feature based on the position of
another feature.

● Cardinal directions are the four main points

of a compass: north, south, east, and west
which are also known by the first letters:
N,S,E, and W.

● Click on the Compass Rose to practice

direction.
 Key Terms
Equator:

• The Equator is the line that

divides the world into a Northern
and Southern Hemisphere.

• Hemisphere- halves
• It is the 0 degree line of latitude.
 Key Terms
Lines of Latitude:

• Latitude- lines that run side to side that

measure north and south.

• Parallel to the Equator

• They are horizontal lines that wrap
around the earth. (Latitude=FLATitude)
• The distance north and south of the
equator are measured in degrees.
• There are 90 degrees north of the equator
and 90 degrees below.
 Key Terms
Lines of Latitude:

• The line that is 23.5 degrees north of

the equator is called the Tropic of
Cancer.
• The line that is 23.5 degrees south of
the equator is called the Tropic of
Capricorn.
• 90 north is the North Pole and 90
degrees south is the South Pole.
 Key Terms
Prime Meridian:

• The Prime Meridian is the line that

divides the world into an Eastern and
Western Hemisphere.
• This line passes through Greenwich,
England.
• This is 0 degrees.
 Key Terms
Lines of Longitude:

• Longitude- lines that run up and

down that measure east to west.

• Meet at the poles

• There are 180 degrees east and 180

degrees west.
 Let’s Practice!
1. If I gave you the
coordinates 45° N,
120° W, what state
would you be in?

2. If I gave you the

coordinates 30° N,
100° W, what state
would you be in?

3. What coordinates
would you give for
South Dakota?
 Let’s Practice!
1. On what continent
are the coordinates
20° N, 20° E on?

2. What are possible

coordinates of
Australia?

3. On what continent
are the coordinates
-40°, 70°W
 Let’s Practice!
Use the link below for more practice using latitude and longitude!
 Place
The theme of place describes the human and physical characteristics of a location.

Place is the personality of geography.

● Describe the place (size, shape).

● What is the climate (temperature, rainfall)?
● What kinds of physical features are there (mountains, rivers, deserts)?
● Describe the people who live there (nationalities, traditions, etc.).

Example: New York City

● Climate: Cold, snowy winters and hot, humid summers

● Physical Features: Surrounded by the Hudson river on the east and west, flat land
● Traditions: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, NYE celebration, known for Broadway shows and fashion
 Place
You have been chosen to create an ad for a country. You can choose any
country you would like. Create your ad on the next slide.

● Describe the location with appealing phrases- (Ex. Plenty of Beachfront

Property!)
● What things are there to do there?
● What are the physical aspects? (Mountains, rivers, climate)
● Are there any customs or traditions?

Insert images to make your ad more appealing.

 Region
A region is an area of the earth’s surface that has unifying characteristics.

A region may not have defining boundaries. One place can be a part of different regions.

Examples:

Religious regions

Climate regions

Cultural Regions

Language Regions

Socioeconomic Regions
 Region
Click on the World Religions map and answer the below.

1. What country is largely Hindu?

2. Name 3 countries with a high Islamic population.

3. Name 3 countries with a Christian population.

 Region
Click on the World Climate map.
At the bottom left hand corner, change precipitation to mean temperature.
Answer the questions at the bottom.

1. Are the boundaries clearly defined or do the colors run into each other?
2. Find the area where you live on the world map. What is the mean temperature there in
January? (In Celcius)
3. Slide the marker from January to July, what is the mean temperature where you live in
July? (In Celcius)
 Movement
The theme of movement explains how people, ideas, animals, and
products move around the world.

Movement helps us think about how the people and places are
connected around the world.

● Example: spread of religions around the world

● Example: immigration patterns
● Example: how products are produced and sold around the world
● Example: information is spread from country to country
 Movement
Movement explains how people, ideas, animals, and products move around the world .

How do people move or Answer Here:

travel around the world?

How do products move

around the world?

How do ideas travel

around the world?
 Movement
Look at this map to see the movement of people around the world to America.

Name 3 things you notice about the immigration patterns to the U.S. over time.

1.
 Movement
Activity Directions: Find 5 products around the classroom and figure out where that product
was made. List the item and the country it was made in the the table below.

Product Country it was made in

 Movement
Pros and Cons: Below is a list of ways people, products, and information can be spread
around the world. What are some pros and cons of each one? An example is done for you.

Method Pros Cons

Airplanes Fast, can carry large numbers of Expensive, Uses a lot of fuel
people/products

Ships

Internet

Trucks
 Human -Environment Interaction
Human-Environment Interaction studies the relationship between humans and their environment.

● Humans can be dependent on their environment.

● Humans can modify their environment.
● Humans can have to adapt to their environment.

Sometimes these changes and adaptations can be positive, but sometimes they can be negative, especially
towards the environment.
 Human -Environment Interaction
Click on the map of New York City. This website compares NYC today to NYC in 1836. Spend time
examining the map and then answer the questions below. (You can swap the view to help.)

1. Name 3 things you see that have been changed over time.

2. What is the biggest modification humans have made to this area in your opinion?
 Human -Environment Interaction
Think about the city/county that you live in. Can you think of any modifications made by humans to the
land? (Think bridges, dams, clear cutting, etc.) In the table below, list what the modification is, the
positive aspects of the modification and the negative effects.

Modification Positive Effects Negative Effects

 Human -Environment Interaction
Humans have adapted in many ways to their environment. We have
adapted over time (thousands of years). We also adapt everyday
according to the weather, food that is available, and physical landscape.

Adaptation over time:

● There are two theories that explain the variation in size and shape of our bodies.
● Bergmann’s rule says warm-blooded animals tend in increase in body size has the
latitude increases (as you get closer toward the poles) and as the temperature
decreases.
● Allen’s rule says that warm-blooded animals tend to have shorter limbs (more
compact) to conserve heat with increasing latitude and decreasing temperatures.
● This rule has been applied to humans as well, over time, people that lived closer to
the poles in colder temperatures tended to have shorter limbs and torsos than those
who live closer to the equator (where it is warmer). For example, the Inuit people
of Canada tend to be shorter than the Maasai people of Kenya.
 Human -Environment Interaction
Click on each picture to find the Youtube 360 videos. For each
video, imagine that you are planning a trip to that particular place.
You must tell me 3 things that you would bring on that trip and
WHY. Remember, part of human/environment interaction is how
humans must adapt to their environments! (These can be anything
from water, different types of clothing, different kinds of food,
weapons, books, technology, and cultural aspects.) For example, if I
were going to the beach, I would want to bring sunscreen, water, and
a hat.

Sahara Desert-

Paris-

Antarctica-