The document discusses the five themes of geography used to study the world: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region. Location asks where something is, using relative or absolute location. Place describes the characteristics of a location, including physical and human features. Human-environment interaction examines how humans use and change the earth. Movement looks at how people, goods, and ideas move between places. Region identifies areas with common characteristics. Understanding these themes helps provide a framework to analyze different parts of the world.

1. Why study geography? To understand more about the changing world we live in To learn more about the people and cultures of the world so that we can better understand each other To evaluate the connection between the earth and those who live on it

2. What are the Five Themes of Geography? The concepts that geographers use to study the world and the people that inhabit it. They are all connected Use all five themes to truly understand the geography of a place

3. Location Asks the question: Where is it? Here’s Madagascar!

4. Can be relative location, which uses descriptions to find places on the earth. Example: I live in New Hope near the McDonalds on Medicine Lake Road.

5. Can be absolute location, which uses a system to find an exact spot on the earth. Examples: latitude and longitude, address with zip codes, GPS, map coordinates

6. Place Asks: What are the characteristics of a location? Describes what it is like there For example, how would you describe Armstrong High School?

7. Can be physical features Climate – temperature, rainfall Landforms – plateaus, plains Topography - elevation Flora - plants Fauna - animals Resources – petroleum, gemstones

8. Can be human characteristics Such as population statistics, economic activities, religion, language, government

9. Human Environment Interaction How do we use the earth? How have we changed the earth?

10. Examples of HEI Growing corn in Farmington Mining iron ore from the Iron Range Skiing down Buck Hill Fishing on Medicine Lake Cars consuming gasoline and polluting the air AHS built out of brick Deforestation of the Himalayas so that homes can be built

11. Movement How do people, goods and ideas get from one place to another?

12. Examples of movement Trading products between countries Migration of people to new areas Buying clothes over the internet Flying overseas to visit your relatives Coming to school on the bus this morning Urban sprawl

13. Region How is this place similar to other places? Are there common characteristics?

14. There are different types of regions: Formal (Uniform) Region – a common characteristic throughout (Gulf Coast states, South Asia) Functional (Nodal) Region – areas connected to a central location (Twin Cities metro area) Regions can overlap!

15. Know these themes! Definitions Examples Questions they answer We will use them throughout the semester as we analyze the different areas of the world!