THE 5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY AT UBC 

LOCATION

The Nest/Student Union

Building.

Absolute location: This

building is located on the

UBC campus at 6138 Student

Union Blvd, Vancouver, BC

V6T 1Z1. Lat/Long:

49.26660099999999,

-123.24985800000002

Relative location: This

building is on the Northern

part of campus. The SW

front of this building faces

onto East Mall. The NW side

of the building faces onto

the old Student Union

Building, currently being

demolished. The NE rear of

the building faces the new

Aquatic Centre and the new

bus loop. The SW side faces

onto University Blvd.  

PLACE

The university resides on a

plateau on the westernmost part

of the Point Grey community in

Vancouver, BC. Students can

enjoy beautiful views of the

North Shore mountains or take

a short walk down to Wreck

Beach, which wraps around the

entire university and plateau.

The university’s endowment

lands enjoy a vast rainforest

known as Pacific Spirit park.

The park has many trails and

provides residents and visitors

with a shaded and nature-based

approach to experiencing the

city.

THE 5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY AT UBC 

In many situations, the

physical environment is no

longer shaped only by

‘natural’ phenomena.

Humans shape and alter the

environment in a multitude

of ways, many positive and

many negative. This

university and its perpetual

construction projects are but

one example of this theme.

We are constantly changing

and altering the landscape of

this university, which itself

was an example of humans

altering the original

landscape to suit their needs. 

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS

Vancouver and its suburbs serve UBC. The greater

Vancouver area is composed of the following cities that

also serve the university: Surrey, Burnaby, New

Westminster, Coquitlam, Richmond, and Delta, West

Vancouver, and North Vancouver. UBC Vancouver is

one of the largest universities in Canada, with 54,000

enrolled students at the undergraduate, master's, and

doctoral levels.

MOVEMENT

UBC is on the traditional,

ancestral and unceded territory

of the Musqueam people. This

land has been an important area

of learning for the Musqueam

peoples and youth in particular

since time immemorial. We are

privileged to be able to study, live

and use this land as a result of the

forced and voluntary movement

of peoples. Today, students come

from all around the world to

study here. We are reminded of

the graciousness of the First

Peoples with locations of

learning such as the First Nations

Longhouse.

THE 5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY AT UBC

UBC is situated just west of Vancouver, British

Columbia a coastal seaport city in the south west

corner of the province. The region is distinguished by

mountains to the north, the Burrard inlet that

connects to the Georgia Straight (and eventually the

Pacific Ocean), and the Fraser River to the south. The

climate of the region is classified as “oceanic” or

“marine west coast” and the UBC campus itself is

embedded in a temperate rain forest region. Often

referred to as the “Point Grey” campus, the UBC

Vancouver campus is adjoining some of the most

expensive real estate areas in North America. Because

of this, the university is often referred to as a

“commuter campus” with local students living off

campus to save money. There are also multiple UBC

run student residences. UBC also has a large

international student population which helps foster a

more dynamic sense of community. Recently the area

of Westbrook Village on the south end of campus has

been developed and is becoming a new wealthy

suburb of the area complete with a new high school

and community centre. 

REGION