What is the five basic themes of geography?

Question

What is the five basic themes of geography?

Answer 1

The five basic themes of geography include:

Regions: Regions are broken down into three smaller categories to help make studying easier. These three categories include; formal, functional, and vernacular regions. Formal regions are given clear boundaries, like state lines, or the boundary markers between different countries like the United States and Canada. Functional regions include a main zone for activity, with surrounding areas that relate to it, like a shopping center, or trade route. Vernacular regions don't have set formal boundaries, but are based off of our perception. So if we talk about 'The Midwest' or 'The Middle East' we can generally understand what area is being discussed in our mental maps of the world.

Place: Describes both the human and physical characteristics of a location. Human characteristics include things that have been designed by people, like political systems, transportation, religious institutions, etc. Physical characteristics are natural, like mountains, forests, lakes, plant and animal life, and climate of a place.

Location: Location can be broken down into two smaller categories, absolute and relative. Absolute location is very precise, like GPS coordinates, or your home address. Relative location is more broad. For example; 'John's house is 2 miles from the school, .5 miles from the grocery store, and 8 miles from the beach.'

Movement: Is when we look at how and why people move from one place to another. But this also includes resources. So the movement of water down the Mississippi River falls into this category. So does the emigration of Afghani refuges following the Taliban takeover in their home country.

Human-environment interaction: How humans chance the environment around them, and how they adapt to the environment around them. Humans might cut down trees to make a field for farming, build a bridge to make crossing a river faster and easier, or they might harvest natural resources like wood or coal to use for heating homes and businesses.