Latitudes and longitudes Flashcards
What are latitudes?
The latitude of a place is the angular distance of that place north or south of the equator, as measured from the center of the Earth.
What is the earth’s grid?
A complete network of parallels of latitudes and meridians of longitudes drawn on the map or the globe of the earth is known as the earth’s grid. It helps us determine the exact location of a place.
What is the equator?
It is an imaginary circle circumscribing the earth through the center and is equidistant from the poles. It is the largest latitude.
What is the latitude at the equator?
0 degrees
What is the latitude at the poles?
90 degree N and S respectively
How many parallels of latitude are there?
There are total 180 latitudes each at an angular distance of 1 degree.
What is the distance between the latitudes and the longitudes? why?
111km. Earth is 360 degrees and its circumference is approx. 40000km. 40,000/360 = 111km
What is the distance of the equator from the poles?
10000 km
what are the 5 main parallels of the latitude?
The five main parallels include :
- Equator
- Tropic of cancer
- Tropic of Capricorn
- Arctic circle
- The Antarctic circle
What are the characteristics of the Equator?
- It receives direct rays of the sun
- It is the longest latitude and also known as the great circle
- Its latitude is 0 degrees
- All other lines of latitudes are parallel to the equator.
- It divides the earth into two equal halves
Why are the tropics of cancer and Capricorn important?
The tropic of cancer is located at 23.5 degrees N. The sun is directly overhead this tropic on June 21st and that marks the longest day in the northern hemisphere. The tropic of capricorn is located at 23.5 degrees S. The sun is directly overhead it on December 22 which marks the longest day in the southern hemisphere.
What are the features of the Arctic and the Antartcic circle?
The arctic circle located at 66.5 degrees north receives oblique rays of sun. So does the south. Due to the inclination of the axis, they experience 6 months of day and six months of night.
Why are latitudes important?
- they help us derive the exact location of a place.
- The 5 main parallels divide the Earth into 5 climate zones. According to the climatic conditions, the vegetations differ.
- Great circle routes are drawn between two points in terms of their latitude and their longitude. These routes help sailors and aircrafts to save fuel, time and reach their destination much faster.
What are the climatic zones of the world?
- Torrid or tropical zones
- Temperate zones
- Frigid zones
What is the torrid zone?
*Between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn
*Northern and southern torrid zones
* Low pressure area because the equator receives direct rays of sunlight
*
What are the temperate zones?
- From the tropic of cancer to the arctic circle in the north
- From the tropic of capricorn to the antarctic circle in the south
- the climate over here is moderate
- This region receives oblique rays of sun so the difference between the summer and the winter temperature is big
- Many people live here due to the ideal temperatures
What are the frigid zones?
- from the arctic circle to the pole in the north and from the antarctic circle to the pole in the south
- They receive very slant rays of sun and have extremely low temperatures.
- They have 6 months of day and 6 months of night with 9 months of winter .
All the places on the same meridian have their _____ at the same time.
NOON
What is the international date line?
The 180 degree longitude lying opposite to the prime meridian is not labelled as E or W as it can be reached via both east and west. It is known as the international date line
What is a great circle route?
The shortest distance between two points on the surface of the earth which forms an arc of a circle is called a great circle route. They help save fuel and time and are economical
What are longitudes?
The angular distance between two lines of longitude east or west of the prime meridian is known as longitude.
What is the difference between a latitude and lines of latitude?
Latitude is the distance of a particular place from the equator towards the north or the south and lines of latitudes are the lines drawn on the grid parallel to the equator.
What is the difference between longitudes and lines of longitudes?
Longitude is the distance of a particular place from the prime meridian towards the east or the west and lines of longitudes are the lines drawn on the grid running from north to south and they converge at the poles,
How many lines of longitudes are there and how are they spaced out?
There are 360 lines of longitude, drawn at a distance of 1 degree (111km)
What is GMT and how does this time alter?
GMT stands for Greenwich meantime which is taken as the international time. It is the time at the prime meridian. Hours are added to this time when we go towards the east and deducted as we go towards the west.
If a person goes 1 degree towards the east from the prime meridian, what will be the difference in time?
4 minutes
If a person goes 15 degrees towards the east how many minutes will be added to GMT?
60 minutes or an hour
When it is noon at the prime meridian, the places to the east will have____ and those to the west will have____
Evening in the east, because hours are added as one moves towards the east and morning in the west because hours are deducted as one moves towards the west.
What is the standard meridian of a country and how is it chosen?
From the standard meridian of a country, the standard time is derived. The standard meridian is taken as a multiple of 15 degrees of 7.5 degrees do that the time difference between the standard time of the country and GMT is a multiple of one hour or half an hour
