5 Themes of Geography
This theme of Geography focuses on where a place is located
What is location?
This imaginary line at 0° latitude divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
What is the Equator?
This part of a map explains the meaning of its symbols and colors.
What is a key or legend?
This landform is a large area of flat or gently rolling land, often used for farming
What is a plain?
This term describes the average weather conditions of an area over a long period of time
What is climate?
These are the two types of characteristics geographers study when describing a place
What are physical and human characteristics?
These imaginary horizontal lines measure distance north and south of the Equator.
What are lines of latitude (parallels)?
This type of map shows cities, states, countries, and their boundaries
What is a political map?
Unlike a peninsula, this landform is surrounded by water on all sides
What is an island?
These are the seven continents on Earth.
What are North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica
A hurricane destroys homes and causes flooding in a town. This theme of geography explains the relationship between the hurricane and the people living there.
What is Human-Environment interaction (environment affecting humans)?
These imaginary lines are also known as meridians and measure distance east and west of the Prime Meridian.
What are lines of longitude?
This map features shows how distances on a map compare to actual distances on Earth
What is a map scale?
This landform is a large, flat area of land that rises above the surrounding landscape
What is a plateau?
This is the number of degrees at which the Prime Meridian is measured.
What is 0°?
A company ships products from factories in China to stores in the United States. This theme of geography describes the transportation of those products
What is movement?
These are the three major climate zones created by lines of latitude.
What are tropical, temperate, and polar zones?
A person planning a hiking trip through mountains would use this type of map to see changes in elevation.
What is a topographic map?
This landform forms when a river deposits sediment as it enters a larger, slower-moving, body of water
What is a delta?
What is GIS (Geographic Information Systems)?
A student says that her school is 10 miles from her house. This is an example of this type of location.
What is relative location?
These are the five major lines of latitude, including the two tropics and the two polar circles.
What are the Equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Arctic Circle, and Antarctic Circle?
A traveler needs to identify highways, state borders, and mountain ranges. These THREE types of maps would help them plan their trip.
What are road, political, and topographic maps?
A mountain has an elevation of 6,000 feet and a nearby valley has an elevation of 2,000 ft. This term describes the 4,000 foot difference in height between the two landforms
What is relief?
A globe shows Earth's shape more accurately than a flat map because flattening Earth's curved surface causes this problem.
What is distortion?