The Five Themes of Geography
AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
MS. ROTI
The Five Themes of Geography
1. Location
2. Place
3. Human-Environment Interaction
4. Movement
5. Region
1. Location – two types
Absolute Location
A specific place on the
Earth’s surface
Uses a grid system
Latitude and longitude
A global address
Relative Location
Where a place is in
relation to another place
Uses directional words to
describe
Examples:
Examples:
Chicago is 41.8369 North Latitude,
87.6847 West Longitude
Washington is located at 3535 East
114th street, Chicago, IL
Illinois is one of the Midwestern
states
Go 1 mile south on Avenue O and
turn left
Place – two types of characteristics
Physical Characteristics
Land features
Mountains, plains, and
plateaus
Climate
Bodies of water
Human Characteristics
People
Culture
Language
Religion
Buildings and landmarks
Cities
Human-Environment Interaction
People…
Adapt to their environment
We adapt to the environment by wearing clothing suitable for
summer (shorts) and winter (coats), rain and shine
Modify their environment
We modify our environment by heating and cooling buildings
for comfort
Depend on their environment
We depend on the Chicago River/Lake Michigan for water and
transportation
Movement
Human Movement
Trucks, trains, planes
Information Movement
Phones, computer (email/social media), mail
Idea movement
How do fads move from place to place? TV, Radio,
Magazines
Region
Formal Regions
Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries
(i.e. states, countries, cities)
Regions defined by similar characteristics (i.e. Midwest region,
Corn Belt, Rocky Mountain Region, Chinatown)
Functional Regions
Regions defined by a function (i.e. newspaper service area, cell
phone coverage area)
Vernacular/Perceptual Regions
Regions defined by people’s perception (i.e. middle east, the
south)
If you can’t remembering what
they are just ask MR. HELP!!!
– Movement
R – Regions
HE – Human Environment interaction
L – Location
P - Place
M
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