3.1.1 The Five Themes of Geography

Regions of the United States Unit Overview and Prep for Success

In this unit, you will use geographical tools to read maps. You will also be able to identify the physical and human characteristics of the regions in the United States and Pennsylvania.

In the first topic, you will explore the five themes of geography: location, place, human-environment interactions, movement, and regions. You will continue to develop your map skills using compass roses, map keys, latitude and longitude lines, and map scales. You will also learn how to interpret maps.

In the second topic, you will learn how the United States is divided into four regions. You will be able to identify the climate, people, animals, and resources of each region. You will use what you learned to choose your favorite region.

Finally, in the third topic, you will learn more about Pennsylvania's geography.

This unit has 1 quiz, 1 project, and 1 test.

The FIVE Themes of Geography:Part 1

Learners will:

• differentiate between location, place, and region of geography

• identify the physical and human characteristics of a place

Vocabulary:
Regions-areas of land that are divided based on similarities in their physical and human characteristics

Think about your home. It has many different areas within it.

If you were to take off the roof of your home and peer down inside, what would it look like?Look at the image below to see an example of a home with different areas inside it.

​Theme in geography describes how places around the world are separated into areas. Each area shares similarities or differences with other areas, or places, around the world.

Today, you will learn about the different themes of geography.

​What is Geography?

Earlier in this lesson, you thought about how each area of your home is the same as or different from other areas.

You might not have realized it, but what you were doing was thinking about the geography of your home.

Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments.
People who study geography are called geographers. They ask questions about:

• different features of Earth, like landforms, oceans, and climate; and

• how people interact with the environment.

• Geography is the study of Earth’s physical features and how they affect all living things. The study of geography can be divided into five broad themes.

There are many ways to explore Earth’s geography. These five themes can help guide and shape your understanding of the people and places all around the world.

​

​Watch the video on EDIO page 5 to learn more about each theme. As you watch, think about how each theme helps geographers better understand the world you live in!

Multiple Choice

Which theme of geography would you use to describe the way people, good, and ideas get from one place to another?

• human-government interaction

• movement

• place

• region

Location

​You can describe a place's location by providing exact, or absolute, information such as its address or latitude and longitude coordinates.

Another way to share a place's location is to describe its relative location, or position in relation to another place. When you describe a place's relative location, you might provide its direction and distance to where you are.

Match

Match the following

• 
  

  Eiffel Tower

  Av. Gustave Eiffel

  75007 Paris, France

• The Statue of Liberty is about 3,625 miles Southwest of the Eiffel Tower.

• Blank

absolute location

relative location

Blank

• absolute location

• relative location

• Blank

​Physical Characteristics

The physical characteristics of a place can include natural features like:

• landforms;

• bodies of water;

• animals or plants;

• climate or weather; and

• natural resources.

Human Characteristics

Human characteristics come from human ideas and actions of a place, such as:

• culture;

• tradition;

• food;

• language; and

• religion.

​Place-A place is defined by its physical and human characteristics.

It answers the question “What is it like there?”

Region

Groups of places can be divided into regions. Regions are areas of land that are divided based on similarities in their physical and human characteristics.

It answers the question “What makes this place the same as or different from other places?”
The United States can be divided into four major regions based on the similarities of physical and human characteristics of places.
Regions are groups of places that share similarities in physical and human characteristics.

Geographers use regions to learn more about Earth and the people who live there. They also use regions to study the past. Regions can change over time as humans find different ways to use and interact with the environment.

Match

Match the following

• Location

• Place

• Region

the absolute and relative position of a

areas on Earth that are described by th

a group of places based on their simila

• 
  

  the absolute and relative position of a

• 
  

  areas on Earth that are described by th

• 
  

  a group of places based on their simila

Today, you learned that geography is the study of Earth and how people live on it and use it.

You also learned that geography can be divided into five broad themes: location, place, region, movement, and human-environment interactions.

Today, you learned about location, place, and region.

• Location answers the questions “Where is this place located?” and “What is it near?”

• Place answers the question “What is it like there?“

• Region answers the question“What is it like there?“

• Region answers the question “What makes this place the same as or different from other places?”

In another lesson, you will learn about the themes of movement and human-environment interactions.

Fantastic job!