This theme examines how people live and adapt to their surroundings.

Many introductory courses use these five categories to organize geographic study: : Where is it? (Absolute vs. Relative).

: What is it like there? (Physical and human characteristics).

: Understanding human impact on nature and learning responsibilities for safeguarding the environment. 4. The "Five Themes" Framework

: Understanding the Earth as a sphere and using the grid system of latitude (parallels) and longitude (meridians) to find absolute locations.