Unit 2, Lesson 2 Themes of Geography: Location, Place and Region

Vocabulary

1. Locate cities using absolute and relative location

2. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of absolute and relative location

3. Identify the regions of countries

4. Describe a space in terms of location, place, and region

Objectives/Goals

Themes of Geography: Location, Place and Region

• Absolute Location

• Coordinates

• Equator

• Five Themes of Geography

• Latitude

• Location

• Longitude

• Place

• Prime Meridian

• Region

• Relative Location

​Essential Question: How does studying location, place, and region help geographers understand the world?

Open Ended

What do you think one Theme (Subject or Topic) of Geography should be?

Five Themes of Geography

1. The Five Themes of Geography: a set of ways geographers think about the similarities and differences in the world.

   1. Location: the particular position of a space (where a space is located)

      1. Absolute Location: describes the place's exact spot

      2. Relative Location: a place in relation to other places and does not change over time

   2. Place: what a space is like

   3. Region: a group of places that have similar physical and human characteristics

   4. Movement: refers to the movement of people, products, and ideas from one place to another

   5. Human-environment interaction: refers to how people and their physical surroundings affect each other

• Absolute LocationAbsolute location can be found by using lines of Latitude (lines that measure the distance north and south) and Longitude (lines that measure the distance east and west) to identify the coordinates (the numbers that show absolute location) of a location. 

• Equator: an imaginary east-west line through the middle of the Earth on a map

  1. Located at 0° longitude

  2. Divide the Earth into halves (North and South)

  3. Lines of Latitude: imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator and measure the distance between north and south

• Prime Meridian: an imaginary north-south line through parts of Europe and Africa

  1. Located at 0° latitude

  2. Divides the earth into halves, east (east and west)

  3. Longitude: imaginary lines that run in the same direction as the Prime Meridian and measure the distance between east and west

Finding Absolute Location

​Latitude

​Longitude

Lines of Latitude

1. ​Measures the distance in ° north and south of the equator

2. The equator is located at 0°

3. The North Pole is located at 90°N

4. The South Pole is Located at 90°S

5. Latitude ranges from 0° to 90° North or South

6. Lines of Latitude never cross each other

7. The longest lines are found at the equator and the shortest ones are found near the poles

1. Measures the distance in ° east and west

2. The Prime Meridian is 0°

3. Longitude lines go east and west to 180°

4. About 70 miles separate each ° close to the equator

5. Closer to the poles, the miles between each ° gets smaller

Lines of Longitude

​Sometimes, Lines of Longitude and Latitude can be written in minutes (55') and seconds (9").
Sometimes, Lines of Longitude and Latitude can be written in Positive (+) and Negative (-).

​Let's find the lines of
absolute location together!

Draw

Try it on your own

Locate the following lines to find absolute location:

The Equator

The Prime Meridian

One Line of Latitude

One Line of Longitude

​Coordinates: numbers that show absolute location using latitude and longitude

​What are Coordinates?

Draw

Let's practice finding absolute location together!

What is the absolute location of Pittsburgh?

What is the absolute location of Harrisburg?

Draw

Try finding the absolute location on your own. What city is located at 41.15° N, 77° W?

What is Relative Location?

Relative Location: describes a space in relation to other places that surround it

1. This is most commonly used every day.

2. Think about...

   1. Relationships - You describe grandma as your mom's mom or your cousin as your dad's sister's son.

   2. Relative Location describes how close or not far away something is compared to other places.

   3. Example: Starbucks is beside the grocery store or The post office is two blocks away

What is place?

Place: describes what a space is like and how it can change over time

1. Geographers ask questions that describe the characteristics of a place

2. Example:

   1. What are the landforms in a place?

   2. What types of buildings are in a place?

   3. What is the religion of a place?

   4. What is the culture in a place?

Categorize

Options (6)

Its coordinates are 6°, 19°S, 106°E

It is east of Egypt

It is cold all year round

It is covered in frost

Sort the items to show whether they describe a space's location or place.

Location

Place

Not a Category

Not a Category 2

1. Region: a group of places that have similar physical and human characteristics

2. Regions describe different parts of the world and think about how places are similar to and different from each other

3. Examples of Region​

   1. Population

   2. Religion

   3. Language

   4. Physical Features?

What is a Region?

Joey needs our help getting home. Let's look at the clues we have and see if we can figure out where Joey needs.

Say Hi to Joey!

Draw

Locate the absolute location of Berlin, Germany where Joey is from.

Open Ended

How would you describe the relative locaton that Joey lives in?

Open Ended

How would you describe the place that Joey lives in?

Open Ended

How would you describe the region that Joey lives in?

​Joey made it home!