Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

LOCATION

People often need to know where the places are located. To find out locations, first we need to learn directions. There are four main directions; East, West, North and South. They are called Cardinal Directions. Other directions; Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest are called Intermediate Directions.

Cardinal Directions

Intermediate Directions

Directions help geographers to read maps.

· Maps are drawings of our world.

· Some show the entire world and others show parts of it.

· Maps are like views of the world, which an astronaut sees from his spacecraft.

· Maps are tools to help us find where we are, or where we are going.

An Atlas is a book that has flat maps showing places all around the world and it is easy to use.

GlobeThe most accurate way to show the whole world is on a globe. A globe is round map of the world. This is because, being round, it shows the actual shape of the earth. Globes are often mounted on stands so they can turn.

The Equator is an imaginary line of latitude which divides the earth into north and south. It is the hottest place on Earth.

Latitudes and the Equator

The earth is a globe and can be divided into lots of lines called latitude and longitude. Lines of latitude are imaginary lines going around the earth from east to west. They are measured in degrees north or south of the Equator. Lines of latitude are also called parallels. Latitude 0 degree is called the Equator, while 90 degree North and 90 degree South are imaginary points called the North Pole and the South Pole.

Longitudes and the Prime Meridian

Lines of longitude are imaginary lines going from the North Pole to the South Pole. They measure degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian.

The Prime Meridian is the first line for measuring lines of longitude and it is called 0 degrees longitude. Other lines of longitude are called meridians.

Degree is a scale which measures the distance between lines of latitude and lines of longitude.

These lines are drawn only on maps and globes, however. You won’t find an “equator line” on the streets of Brazil or “Prime Meridian line” in London. These lines are just imaginary and used for the identification of where places or things are located on a map or a globe.

The Equator:

This imaginary line, which runs through parts of South America, Africa, and Asia, is officially the halfway point between the North Pole and the South Pole.

Remember

F Lines of latitude go across the map.

F Lines of longitude go up and down the map.

F Latitude is always given first

F Latitude and longitude are measured in degrees

The Prime Meridian:

This imaginary line runs through the United Kingdom, France, Spain, western Africa, and Antarctica.

Tropics and Zones

Tropics: The part of the Earth's surface between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn; characterized by a hot climate.

Tropic of Cancer: an imaginary latitude line between the Equator and the Arctic Circle.

Tropic of Capricorn: an imaginary latitude line between the Equator and Antarctic Circle.

Temperate Zones: the part of the Earth's surface between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer or between the Antarctic Circle and the Tropic of Capricorn; characterized by moderate climate. These zones have four seasons and changeable weather over the year.

Globe Projection

The Polar Circles: lines of latitude at the north or south poles. There are two polar circles; Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle. The North and the South Poles are the coldest places on Earth.

Questions

1. What are the main directions called?

2. Write and draw Intermediate Directions.

3. What is a map?

4. What is meant by an atlas?

5. Why is globe the best way to show the world?

6. What are latitudes?

7. Why are lines of latitude also called parallels?

8. What is the difference between the Equator and the Prime Meridian?

9. What are longitudes?

10. Draw a globe and show the Prime Meridian.

11. What is a degree?

12. What is the location of the Equator and the Prime Meridian on a globe?

13. What are the tropics?

14. What are temperate zones? Why is weather there moderate?

15. What are the Polar Circles?

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This site was last updated 08/30/04