Lesson 2: Looking at Our Community
Handout 1

Looking at Our Community through the Five Themes of Geography

Theme Description of Our Community
Location Position on the Earth’s Surface
  • Absolute location
Latitude:|
Longitude:
  • Relative location
Near what other geographical features (water, land features, natural resources, etc.):
Place Physical and Human Characteristics
  • Physical characteristics
(landforms, water bodies, climate, soil, natural vegetation, animal life)
  • Human characteristics
(population density and composition, settlement and housing patterns, architecture, kinds of economic and recreational activities, transportation and communication networks, religious groups present, language, economic organizations, social groups, political organization)
Human/ Environment Interactions How Humans Interact with Their Environment
  • How do people modify or adapt to their natural settings?
(shelter, clothing, food, ways of making a living, natural disasters, etc.)
Movement Humans Interacting on the Earth
  • People
(migration patterns to and from the community)
  • Products
(transportation lines coming into and leaving the community, national/global interdependence of natural resources or finished goods)
  • Ideas
(communication networks, schools and universities)
Regions An Area That Displays Unity in Terms of Various Criteria
  • Governmental unit
 
  • Language group
 
  • Geographical or landform type
 
  • Economic characteristics
 
  • Recreational area