5 THEMES OF

GEOGRAPHY

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DEFINITION OF GEOGRAPHY

A Science that deals with : Description

Distribution Interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features

of the earth's surface

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IN PLAIN ENGLISH

Geography is the study of: the earth

and everything on it.

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WHERE DID THE 5 THEMES COME FROM?

5 Themes of Geography –Created by the National Geographic Society In order to fulfill a need for geographers to

categorize everything they learn about the world.

These 5 places are easy to remember. Just say the word “MR HELP”.

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5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

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WHAT IS “PRILM”?MR HELP is a mnemonic device that can be used to help

remember what the 5 Themes of Geography are.

Take the first letter of each Theme to create the word MR HELP

Movement Region Human-Environment Location Place

5 Themes explained Location – Where is it ?

Place – What is it like ? How does it look ? Is it hot, cold, dry, wet, lots of buildings ?

Region – How are places similar and different ? Does it have characteristics that unify it ?

Movement – How do people, goods, and ideas move from one place to another ?

Human-Environment Interaction – How do people relate to the physical world ? How do they use it ?

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LOCATION2 parts : Absolute+ RELATIVE LOCATION

Absolute location is shown by an address. The address can be any type of address that gives an exact position.

Here are some examples:A Street Address:152 Silly Street, McKinney, Tx. 75983A Map Address:15o20' North, 20o15' West

Both of these examples well tell you exactly where a place is.

Relative location is shown by saying where something is in relation to somewhere or something else is located.

( Down the street next to Taco Bell )

Latitude and Longitude

Latitude lines run east/west but they measure north or south of the equator (0°) splitting the earth into the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.

Latitude

North Pole

South Pole

Lines of latitude are numbered from 0° at the equator to 90° N.L. at the North Pole.

Lines of latitude are numbered from 0° at the equator to 90° S.L. at the South Pole.

][

90 8070

6050

40

2030

10

9080

70605040

2010

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Latitude

The North Pole is at 90° N

The South Pole is at 90° S

The equator is at 0° latitude. It is neither north nor south. It is at the center between north and south.

40° N is the 40° line of latitude north of the equator.

40° S is the 40° line of latitude south of the equator.

Longitude Lines of longitude

begin at the Prime Meridian.

60° W is the 60° line of longitude west of the Prime Meridian.

The Prime Meridian is located at 0°. It is neither east or west

60° E is the 60° line of longitude east of the Prime Meridian.

W E

Longitude

Lines of longitude are numbered east from the Prime Meridian to the 180° line and west from the Prime Meridian to the 180° line.

PRIME MERIDIAN

West L

ongitu

de

East L

ongitu

de

180°

N

EW

S

North Pole

Prime MeridianThe Prime Meridian (0°) and the 180° line split the earth into the Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere. Prime Meridian

Western Hemisphere

Eastern Hemisphere

Places located east of the Prime Meridian have an east longitude (E) address. Places located west of the Prime Meridian have a west longitude (W) address.

INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE180°

SEPARATES 2 CALENDAR DAYS.

America to Asia – gain a dayAsia to America – lose a day

By combining latitude and longitude, any location can be pinpointed

A location’s coordinates(____° N or S, ____ ° E or W)

Application

North America is in the Northern Hemisphere because it is north of the Equator. North America is in the Western Hemisphere because it is west of the Prime Meridian.

LONGITUDE AND TIMEThe world rotates (spins) 360° in 24

hours. 360° / 24 hours = 15° per hourThe world has 24 time zones, each l5°

apart.

THERE IS A 1 HOUR TIME DIFFERENCE FOR EVERY 15° OF LONGITUDE

Greenwich, England is the logical starting point for time zones

The world rotates west to east (counterclockwise), time zones to the east are ahead of the those time zones to the west

ANOTHER CHEESY SAYING

EAST INCREASE Time is forward to all places to

the east

WEST LESS Time is backward to all places

to the west

East Increase – West Less(1 hr per l5°)

If it is 4pm in GA what time is it in CA?

If its 12pm in AZ what time is it in FL?

Location Activity

You will be provided with the names of all the professional football teams.

Locate each football city on a map and then write the latitude and longitude coordinates beside the city’s name on the list.

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PLACE What is it like there? What kind of place is it? This is divided into 2 parts:

Physical characteristics Things that occur naturally, such as mountains,

rivers, type of soil, wildlife, climate etc.

Human characteristicsThings that have changed due to people, such as roadsand buildings, how people live and their traditions.

Place Activity Your job is to make a mystery postcard.

On one side of a postcard draw an image representing a place that could be in town, a city in Kentucky, another state, or a country.

On the other side, write a message that provides the other students with clues about the place. Do not include the name of the location. Be sure to include lots of detailed information to help your classmates appreciate the personality of the place you are describing.

We will then pass them to each group and try to guess what they are describing.

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HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONHow do humans and the

environment affect each other? We depend on it.

People depend on the Tennessee River for water and transportation.

We modify it. People modify our environment by

heating and cooling buildings for comfort. We adapt to it.

We adapt to the environment by wearing clothing suitable for summer (shorts) and winter (coats), rain and shine.

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTACTIVITYList ways that people affect their

environment every day (for example driving cars, using water, disposing of garbage, smoking cigarettes).

 Make a second list of ways that people affect their environment through seasonal activities (for example, watering lawns, burning leaves, fishing and hunting).

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MOVEMENTHow are people, goods, ideas

moved from place to place? Human Movement

Trucks, Trains, Planes Information Movement

Phones, computer (email), mail Idea Movement

How do fads move from place to place? TV, Radio, Magazines

MOVEMENT ACTIVITY Items in the classroom can easily represent a

microcosm of the world economy. You will be surprised how many countries are represented on the “Made In…” labels of products around you.

  Look at the tags of your t-shirts, notebooks,

things around the classroom. Determine where they were made.

REVIEW DIFFERENT PLACES ON A WORLD MAP

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REGIONS How are Regions similar to and

different from other places? Formal Regions

Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries (States, Countries, Cities)

Regions defined by similar characteristics (Corn Belt, Rocky Mountain region, Chinatown).

Functional Regions Regions defined by a function (newspaper service

area, cell phone coverage area). Vernacular Regions

Regions defined by peoples perception (middle east, the south, etc.)

REGIONS ACTIVITY

Use Atlas to label Native American regions in the United States.

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Create Your Own Country Using both the real world and your imagination you will be

creating your own country. Each of the pages required for your travel guide must be assigned to a person or persons in the group. There are just five rules that you have to follow:

1) Your country must be located somewhere on the surface of the Earth. You can create an island or you can place your country between real countries.

2) Based on the location of your country your climate and vegetation must be realistic. You cannot have a tropical forest in a desert.

3) Your group must have typed detailed responses to the list of questions below.

4) You must also include everything that is on the check list. 5) The sky is the limit, so be creative and have fun!

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