Five Themes of Geography

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the Five Themes of Geography and basic geographical terminology based on lecture notes.

Location

The theme of geography that asks the questions: "Where is it?" and "Why is it there?"

Absolute Location

A specific place on the Earth's surface that uses a grid system defined by Latitude and longitude to give a global address, such as Texas at $31^\text{o} \text{ N Latitude}$, $97^\text{o} \text{ W Longitude}$.

Relative Location

Where a place is in Relation to another place, using directional words such as Cardinal and intermediate directions.

Physical Characteristics

Land features of a place including Mountains, plains, and Plateaus, as well as Climate and bodies of Water.

Human Characteristics

The features of a place defined by People, Culture, language, Religion, Buildings, Landmarks, and Cities.

Human-Environment Interaction

How people interact with their environment by three means: People Adapt to, People Modify, and People Depend on their environment.

Human Movement

The transport of people from place to place using vehicles like trucks, Trains, and planes.

Information Movement

The communication of information from place to place via phones, COMPuters, and mail.

Idea Movement

The study of how Ideas move from place to place.

Formal Region

An area defined by governmental or administrative boundaries that unite it, such as states, countries, and cities.

Functional Region

An area defined by a function, such as a metropolitan area or places connected by transportation.

Perceptual Region

An area defined by people's Preception based on human attitudes about a place, such as the Middle East, The South, or Southeast Texas.

Geography

The study of the Physical and human landscapes of Earth and the interaction between the two.

Physical Geography

The study of processes and patterns of the natural environment of the Earth.

Human Geography

The study of culture, population, economy, Government, and societies.