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LONGITUDES AND LATITUDES
A globe is a small three dimensional model of the earth which
shows the spherical shape of the earth. We see that the
Earth rotates on his axis and tilts to an angle of 23.5°. An
axis is an imaginary line that passes through the Earth. At
one end of the axis there is the North pole while at the other
end there is the South Pole.
Latitude lines are imaginary lines that run horizontally
around the globe. They measure north or south of the
equator– 0º at the equator and 90º at the North and South
poles. Places located north of the equator have a north (N)
latitude address and those south of the equator have a south
(S) latitude address. The equator splits the globe into the northern and southern
hemispheres. The northern half which is towards the north of the equator is called the
northern hemisphere. The southern half which is towards the south of the equator is
called the southern hemisphere.
Longitude lines are imaginary lines that run vertically around the globe. They measure
east or west of the Prime Meridian. Places located east of the Prime Meridian have an
east longitude (E) address and those west of the Prime Meridian have a west longitude
(W) address. The Prime Meridian (0º) and the 180º line split the earth into the Western
and Eastern Hemispheres. The value ranges from 0º to 180º E for the places east of the
Prime Meridian and from 0º to 180º W for the places west of the Prime Meridian.
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The combination of latitude and longitude lines create a grid system that is used to
determine the exact location of anything, anywhere on earth. This is called the
geographic grid.
Each location on the globe touches a line of latitude and a line of longitude.
Latitudes Longitudes
The term ‘latitude’ is used to refer to the The term ‘longitude’ is used to refer to the
horizontal lines on the globe or a map vertical lines on the globe or a map stretching
between the North Pole and the South Pole. between east and west of the Prime Meridian.
Latitudes are parallel to the Equator. The Longitudes are semi circles. The size of each
sizes of the circles reduce with each circle of the semi-circles is identical.
farther from the Equator.
Latitude of a place determines the climatic Longitude of a place determines its distance
pattern of a region. from the Prime Meridian and its time zone.
Latitudes range from 0o on the Equator to Longitudes range from 0o at the Prime
90o North or South of the Equator. Meridian to 180o East or West of it.
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When we write the global address of a place we always put the latitude first and the
longitude last.
Degrees of latitude and longitude are divided into minutes and seconds. Every degree
has 60 minutes and every minute has 60 seconds.
Location of the important lines of latitudes Location of an important longitude - The Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian passes through the British Royal Observatory at Greenwich near
London. So the Prime Meridian is also called the Greenwich Meridian. On the opposite
side of the Prime Meridian lies an imaginary line called the International Date Line at
180° longitude.
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HEAT ZONES OF THE EARTH
The ancient scholars Parmenides and Aristotle stated that the Earth is divided into three
types of climatic zones based on their distance from the equator. There is considerable
difference between these regions in terms of the amount of heat received from the sun.
So they are called heat zones. The various heat zones are Torrid Zone, Frigid Zone and
Temperate Zone. Again these three are classified into North Frigid Zone, North
Temperate Zone, South Temperate Zone, South Frigid Zone etc.
Torrid Zone : The Hottest Region
This region is the hottest one among the heat
zones of the earth. The Torrid zone is from the
Tropic of Cancer (23.5ºN) to the Tropic of
Capricorn (23.5ºS) across the equator. This
region has experiences hot and humid
conditions. The Equator experiences daily
rainfall. By late afternoon, when it cools off a
bit, the water vapour condenses and falls as
rain in the evening. The showers are known
as 4 o'clock showers. The temperature stays
relatively uniform from day to night. There is
no winter in this region as sunlight falls directly
on these areas all around the year.
Frigid Zone : The Coldest Region
This zone is the permanently frozen zone among the three zones. It lies from the North
Pole to the Arctic Circle (66.5ºN) and from the South Pole to the Antarctic Circle
(66.5ºS). This region is very cold. This region is characterized by a long season of
severe winter and even the summer season is cold. At the poles, there is continuous
darkness for 6 months during winters and in summer there is continuous light for weeks.
Due to the revolution of the year, when the North Pole has summer, the South Pole will
have winter and vice-versa.
Temperate Zone : The Moderate-Temperature Region
There are two Temperate zones. In the northern hemisphere it lies between the Tropic
of Cancer and the Arctic Circle and in the southern hemisphere it lies between the
Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle. In this region, the temperature is moderate.
This zone has dry and arid regions as well as a moist coast. Places where there is
adequate amount of precipitation promote the growth of grasses which forms
grasslands in this zone.
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