parallels (latitude) and meridians (longitude)
DESCRIPTION
LET´S THINK……. Suppose that we are in an unfamiliar land, and we need to find an important object that is hidden somewhere else on the Earth. If we just start walking in a random direction, are we likely to find the hidden object ?TRANSCRIPT
PARALLELS (LATITUDE) AND MERIDIANS (LONGITUDE) LETS THINK.
Suppose that we are in an unfamiliar land, and we need to find
animportant object that is hidden somewhere else on the Earth. Ifwe
just start walking in a random direction, are we likely to findthe
hidden object ? In order to both study and navigate the Earth, it
is important tohave a system , The simplest method for describing
locationseither on a planet, or on any flat object is to create a
grid. A gridis a series of evenly spaced imaginary lines that
intersect with oneanother at right angles. One set of lines are
distributed across theglobe horizontally, and one set of lines are
distributed vertically. But wait a moment. How do we know where the
top and bottom of the Earth are?
Because the Earth is rotating around an imaginary axis, we can
define a top andbottom. We call these the poles. Having a top and
bottom of the Earth allows us tothen draw the imaginary lines that
we need for our grid. The lines that extend frompole to pole are
called meridians, while the lines that circle the globe
horizontallyare referred to as parallels The Geographic Grid
Parallels and Meridians Geographic grid: network of parallels and
meridians used to fix location on the Earth Parallel: east-west
circle on the Earths surface, lying on a plane parallel to the
equator Meridian: north-south line on the Earths surface,
connecting the poles PARALLEL (LATITUDE) Latitude Latitude is the
angular distance of any object from the equatormeasured in degrees.
The angular distance from the equator toitself is 0, thus the
latitude at the equator is 0 . If we moveeither up or down from the
equator, our distance increases, andso does our angle to it.
Eventually we reach either the North, orSouth pole. Standing on the
these poles, places us at exactly a 90 angle to the equator.
PARALLELS If we were to cut the earth in half at the equator, and
place a large piece of paper in-between the two halves, we would
find that both halves were exactly the same size. As we move either
up or down the Earth, cutting the planet into two pieces produces
one large piece, and one small piece. As we approach the poles, the
large piece gets very big, while the small piece becomes much
smaller. Drawing these imaginary lines at different latitudes
produces what we call parallels. All though technically it is
possible to draw an infinite number of parallels at any number of
latitudes, there are a few which are important for you to
understand as you study our planet The first of these is called the
equator
The first of these is called the equator. The Equator is located at
0 latitude. Going North from the Equator we find the Tropic of
Cancer. This parallel is located at 23.5 North. Continuing further
Northward we reach the Arctic Circle at 66.5 North Continuing all
the way to the top of the Earth, at 90 latitude we encounter the
North Pole.. If we journey southward from the Equator we will find
the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5 South. Continuing South we reach
the Antarctic Circle at 66.5 South. Finally at 90 South we find the
South Pole. MERIDIAN (LONGITUDE) Longitude The lines running
vertically around the Earth are calledLongitude. These lines are
called meridians, and measure how farEast or West an object is. As
with latitude, longitude is measured as an angular distance.With
Latitude, the angular distance is measured from theequator. This is
a natural place to begin. However, with longitudethere is no
natural beginning point. Over time, more and more travelers began
to recognize themeridian passing through Greenwich, England as the
PrimeMeridian. In 1884 a group of scientists, navigators,
andbusinessmen made Greenwich, England the official worldwidePrime
Meridian. The further away from the Prime Meridian that one travels
the higher theirlongitude becomes, until they reach 180 longitude.
If an individual is in the EasternHemisphere, their longitude is
measured in degrees East. If they are in the WesternHemisphere
their longitude is measured in degrees West. The Geographic Grid
Parallels and Meridians Equator: Parallel of latitude lying midway
between the Earths poles; it is designated latitude 0 Longest
parallel of latitude Midway between poles Fundamental reference
line for measuring position Longitude: arc of a parallel between
the prime meridian and a given point on the globe Latitude: arc of
a meridian between the equator and a given point on the globe The
Geographic Grid LATITUDE AND LONGITUDELatitude is measured north
and south of the equator, up to 90 Longitude is measured east and
west of the Prime Meridianmeridian that passes through Greenwich,
Englandup to 180 Map Projections Many types of maps, for many
different purposes PARALLEL VS MERIDIAN synthesis
PARALLEL: an imaginary east-west line circling a globe MERIDIAN: an
imaginary north-south line circling a globe LONGITUDE: is a
geographical coordinate that specifies theeast-west position of a
point on the Equator. LATITUDE: is a geographical coordinate that
specifies theNorth-south position of a point on the Equator PLACES
TO FIND WITH COORDINATES
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