Five Themes of Geography

Adapted from Guidelines for Geographic Education

Location Relative Location is described by:

Landmarks Time Direction or distance from one place to another May associate a particular place with another

Absolute Location is described by: Latitude and longitude (global location) Street address (local location)

Place Human Characteristics

derived from ideas and actions of people that result in changes to the environment Buildings Roads Clothing Food habits

Physical Characteristics Mountains Rivers Soil Beaches Wildlife

Image based on experiences Values Attitudes Perceptions

Human/Environmental Interaction Humans adapt to the environment Humans modify the environment Humans depend on the environment

Environment is not just trees, spotted owls and rain forests. Environment is also a feeling – what is the environment of a big city vs. a rural town?

Movement People Goods Ideas

Regions Formal

Defined by governmental or administrative boundaries and are not open to dispute (includes physical regions – The Rockies)

Functional Defined by a function (newspaper service area)

Vernacular Defined by people’s perception (The South)

National Geography Standards

Geography for Life, 1994

I.  THE WORLD IN SPATIAL TERMS

Geography studies the relationships between people, places, and environments by mapping information about them into a spatial context.  The geographically informed person knows and understands:

1. How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective

2. How to use mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context

3. How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places and environments on Earth's surface

II.  PLACES & REGIONS The identities and

lives of individuals and peoples are rooted in particular places and in those human constructs called regions.  The geographically informed person knows and understands:

4. The physical and human characteristics of places.

5.  That people create regions to interpret Earth's complexity

6.  How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions

III.  PHYSICAL SYSTEMS Physical processes shape Earth's surface

and interact with plant and animal life to create, sustain, and modify ecosystems.  The geographically informed person knows and understands:

7.  The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface

8.  The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface

IV.  HUMAN SYSTEMS People are central to

geography in that human activities help shape Earth's surface, human settlements and structures are part of Earth's surface, and humans compete for control of Earth's surface.  The geographically informed person knows and understands:

9.   The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth's surface

10. The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics

11.  The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface

Continued on next slide

IV.  HUMAN SYSTEMS con’t

12.  The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement

13.  How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface

V.  ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY

The physical environment is modified by human activities, largely as a consequence of the ways in which human activities, largely as a consequence of the ways in which human societies value and use Earth's natural resources, and human activities are also influenced by Earth's physical features and processes. 

14.  How human actions modify the physical environment

15.  How physical systems affect human systems

16.  The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources

VI.  THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY

Knowledge of geography enables people to develop an understanding of the relationships between people, places, and environments over time - that is, of Earth as it was, is, and might be.   The geographically informed person knows and understands:

17.  How to apply geography to interpret the past

18.  How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future

Technology and Geography As with any field or area of study, Geography has

expanded with the application of technology.  All areas of Geography benefit from computer technology, however the subfields of Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing and image processing, and cartography are the primary areas where computer technology is utilized.  Geography and technology have moved into K-12 schools. Various computer hardware and software companies, as well as organizations such as the National Geographic Society, have assisted schools in their efforts to integrate geography technology into their programs.

Geographic Information System

A GIS is a computer-based system of hardware and software that combines digital map data with descriptive data to perform spatial analysis. A GIS combines the power of database management systems with the graphics of CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) to allow the user to perform "what if" scenarios and to create models.

GIS "subjects" include planning a new residential neighborhood

in a city, monitoring wetlands losses, citing a restaurant, helping farmers be more precise with the

application of fertilizers or herbicides, performing emergency management for

police or fire departments, and determining utilities outages in a city.

Global Positioning Satellite

One tool used in GIS is the GPS System.  The GPS is a constellation of satellites that use triangulation to pinpoint locations on the surface of the Earth through communication with GPS receivers.  The receivers may be as small as a portable phone or large enough to require a backpack to carry them.  The GPS system allows users to locate themselves, using a geographical coordinate system (i. e. Lat/Longs). GPS systems may be installed in cars, used by hikers and hunters, or used by GIS analyst to input locational information into the computer

Using GPS systems, a GIS analyst may:

map trails in a National Forest, collect the location of fire hydrants, map the streets of a city, monitor the migration of caribou, and map utility systems

Remote Sensing The process of studying an object without

being in contact with the object (i. e., from a distance). Geographers perform remote sensing using aerial photography (pictures taken from a camera on board an aircraft) or satellite imagery (images taken from space either from satellites or spacecraft).  Geographers use computers and image processing to draw information from imagery

Geographers have used satellite imagery to:

track oil spills in the Persian Gulf, monitor floods on the Mississippi River, determine damage or stress in agricultural

fields or forests, and to determine damage extent after

hurricanes come ashore

Cartography The art and science of making maps. Cartography is

a "science" because it requires observation and knowledge of the Earth's surface, combined with mathematical skills.  Cartography is an "art" because it requires a knowledge of map layout, design, and color techniques.  Historically cartographers drew maps by hand, which is a time-consuming, tedious task.  With the advent of computers, cartographers now are free to concentrate on good design, rather than on their ability to draw or draft.