How do geographers use the five themes of geography?
THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY Lisa Keys-Mathews Department of Geography University of North Alabama To specifically serve the teacher population, a publication entitled Guidelines for Geographic Education was published in 1984 and its contents became known popularly as the “Five Themes of Geography.” These themes are: Location Relative Location Absolute Location Place Human Characteristics Physical Characteristics Human-Environmental Interactions Humans adapt to the environment Humans modify the environment Humans depend on the environment Movement People Goods Ideas Regions Formal Functional Vernacular (perceptual) The five themes served as a framework upon which the content of geography can be taught and served the K-12 population until the national geography standards were published in 1994. Since the six elements of the national standards embrace the five themes, they remain a valuable tool for students to use in developing a “geographic perspective,” while the standards strengthen
