5 Themes of Geography

Unit 1: Introduction to World Geography

In this section you will introduce students to the 5 Themes of Geography using worksheets, activities, projects, and PowerPoints.

When we want to learn about a certain country, city, region, etc., we use the Five Themes of Geography. For each of the Five Themes, tell students to ask themselves the following questions about a particular country or region:

Location


• Where is the place (longitude, latitude, continent, hemispheres)?
• How far away from home is it (travel time by plane, distance in miles or kilometers)?
• What countries are neighbors of the country?


Place


• Describe the place (size, shape).
• What is the climate (temperature, rainfall)?
• What kinds of physical features are there (mountains, rivers, deserts)?
• Describe the people who live there (nationalities, traditions, etc.).


Human-Environment Interactions


• How do people use the land (farming, herding, mining, industry)?
• How have people changed the land?
• Where do most people live (near a river or coastline, in the mountains)?
• Why do you think people settled there (water, safety, food, natural beauty)?


Movement


• How will you travel to the place (route, drive, fly, walk)?
• Does the country export goods to other places? If so, what and where?
• Does the country import goods from other places? If so, what and from where?
• Why would people leave or move to the country (jobs, family, climate, war)?


Regions


• What language(s) do people speak?
• What are the political divisions of the country (states, provinces, republics)?
• How is the country similar to any of its neighbors (traditions, language, climate)?

Click on the links below for all the resources you need to teach an Introduction to World Geography: