Locating Places on the Map - Globes

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

What is a Globe?

A globe is a model of the earth that shows the roundness of our world. It is mounted on a stand so that it can spin showing how the earth rotates as it travels around the sun. A globe is a map that has been pasted or printed on a hollow sphere. Globes of the earth are called terrestrial globes. They are made of a series of triangular strips of material called gores. The gores are pasted on a sphere and a world map is printed on the gores. A globe shows all the lands and seas in their true shapes and positions.

How Are Globes Used?

Globes are used in the study of geography, to help plan land and sea routes and in establishing satellite communications. A globe is important as it gives a true picture of the earth as a whole. A globe represents all parts of the earth’s surface true to scale. Distances, areas and directions are not distorted as they are on flat maps.

What is a Hemisphere?

A hemisphere is one half of a sphere. It is a name given to any half of the globe. The earth is divided into four main hemispheres – the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western hemispheres.

The Northern and Southern Hemispheres

The northern and southern hemispheres share the ______as a dividing or boundary line. All areas north of the equator make up the ______hemisphere, while all areas ______of the equator make up the southern hemisphere.

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

The eastern and western hemispheres do not have a natural dividing line. The eastern hemisphere is made up of the continents of Australia, Europe, Asia and Africa. The western hemisphere is made up of the continents of North America and South America.

We live in the ______hemisphere. Four countries in the western hemisphere include______

______.

There are also land and water hemispheres. The land hemisphere includes the ______of the earth with the most land. Its centre is near London, England. The other half of the earth is mainly ______. This makes up water hemisphere. These hemispheres are continually changing positions on the earth’s surface as it ______on its axis.

Lines on the Globe

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

Geographic grids are lines on maps that help us locate and describe locations. The most common grid uses the east-west lines called ______of latitude and the north-south lines called ______of longitude.

Each parallel of latitude runs ______to ______and describes the position of a point on the earth’s surface in relation to the equator. The latitude of a point is measured in ______from the equator towards one of the earth’s poles. The equator has a latitude of ______degrees (written 0). The North Pole has a latitude of 90 north and the South pole has a latitude of 90 south.

For further accuracy, degrees of latitude can be further divided into 60 minutes () and the minutes each consist of 60 seconds ().

Lines of longitude or ______begin in GreenwichEngland, a borough of London. Greenwich lies at 0 longitude. This line of longitude is called the ______. Lines of longitude are lines that run from the ______to ______on maps and globes to indicate distances and locate points. All the lines of longitude meet at the North and South Poles. The distance between the meridians is greatest at the equator. This distance gradually ______as the meridians (lines of longitude) near the poles.

Lines on the Globe –Part 2

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

Work with the teacher to fill in the correct names of the main parallels of latitude.

Tropic of Cancer / Arctic Circle / North Pole / Equator
Tropic of Capricorn / Antarctic Circle / South Pole

Recognizing Latitude Lines

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

1. Lines of latitude are imaginary lines that go around the globe in the same east-west direction as the equator. They are like circles, drawn around a ball, that never meet. Which globe shows this, A or B? ______
2. Mark the position o the North and South Poles on Globes A and B.
3. The equator is an imaginary line that divides the earth into two equal parts or hemispheres – northern and southern. The equator is an important line of latitude because from it all other lines of latitude are measured. Show the position of the equator on Globes A and B.
4. Which line of latitude on the globe is the longest?______
5. Which line of latitude is farthest north?
______
6. Which line of latitude is farthest south? ______
How is Latitude Measured?
During the age of exploration, new instruments were developed to measure distance and calculate position. Many were not very accurate. The astrolabe, or ‘star measurer’, had long been used to estimate distance north or south of the equator. From it, the cross-staff was developed. It was used at night to compare the height of certain stars with the horizon and so give the latitude. For day-time readings, the angle between the horizon and the sun’s position at noon was measured. The user lined up three sights on the cross-staff so that the top one pointed directly at the sun, and the bottom one pointed at the horizon. The findings were compared with information in a book on how the earth moved during the year in relation to the sun and the stars. However, a cross-staff could not be used when it was often needed most – during cloudy or stormy weather. A sextant works in almost the same way. Today, navigators on ships and planes with the power of computer technology use automatic sextants to record their position.

Recognizing Longitude Lines

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

The equator divides the globe into two halves – northern and southern hemispheres. Another line also divides the globe into two equal parts or hemispheres – eastern and western. This line of longitude is called the PrimeMeridian. Prime means first or beginning.
All other lines of longitude are measured in degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian. Lines of longitude are like half circles drawn around the globe that come together at the North and South Poles.
1. Which globe shows this? A B
2. Which globe shows the position of the Prime Meridian? A B
3. Lines of longitude are also called ______.
The Origin of the Prime Meridian
As new lands and oceans were discovered, it became more important for explorers to know their exact position. Navigators had found ways to determine their position north or south of the equator. However, they had difficulty establishing lines from which to measure east –west distances. They needed these lines to give them a cross reference for charting their position and course more accurately. Different countries established longitude lines to measure east – west distances, but could not agree on a common point to begin their measurement.
Finally, in 1759, an English inventor names John Harrison developed the marine chronometer. This instrument gave ship’s navigators the exact time from which to calculate their position east or west of a certain point. Because his laboratory was in Greenwich, at that time a suburb of London, a base line was drawn to pass through Greenwich, England. The exact spot marking of this Prime Meridian was a brass strip set in paving and was marked zero degrees longitude.
Since 1884, most countries have agreed to measure time from this line of longitude. Today, the world’s time zones are based on Greenwich Mean (or standard) Time. The time is kept accurate by six atomic clocks that lose no more than one second each 4000 years! From its radio signals, ships and other moving objects around the world can check their exact east-west position.

Using Latitude to Find Position

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

A globe can be divided into segments or degrees. These segments, or lines of longitude, are used to measure distance east or west of the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is an imaginary line, marked 0 degrees, that passes both geographical poles through Greenwich, England.
1. If a globe is unrolled into a map, the lines of longitude might look like those drawn on this map. In what ways are the longitude lines on this map different from those on the globe?______
______
______
______
______
2. Show on the map the position of the Prime Meridian. / 3. These eight cities are at various lines of longitude. Put the name of each city in its correct place on the map.
Adelaide, Australia – 140East
London, England – 0
Miami, USA – 80W
Madras, India – 80E
Ottawa, Canada – 75W
Santiago, Chile - 70W
Tokyo, Japan – 140E
Vancouver, BC – 123W
4. The city located on the Prime Meridian is ______.
5. The city farthest west of the Prime Meridian is ______.
6. The two cities that are on the same longitude line are ______
______.

Using Longitude to Find Position

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

Latitude lines, or parallels of latitude, are imaginary lines running east-west around the earth. They are like parallel circles drawn around the globe and are measured in degrees north or south of the equator. The equator is 0 degrees.
If a globe is unrolled into a map, the lines of latitude might look like the lines on the map below. Notice that the distances at the North and South Poles seem to be as wide as the equator. On this kind of map, only the north-south distances are correct.
These eight cities are at different latitudes. Put the name of each city in its correct place on the map.
  1. Cairo, Egypt – 30 North
  2. Leningrad, Russia – 60N
  3. Miami, USA – 25N
  4. Ottawa, Canada – 45N
  5. Peking, China – 40N
  6. Quito, Ecuador – 0
  7. Santiago, Chile – 35S
  8. Sydney, Australia – 34S
/ a) The city nearest the equator is
______
b) The city farthest north is
______
c) The city closest to the South Pole is
d) The two cities that are almost at the same latitude are______
______.

Using a Map Grid to Determine Position

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

Latitude lines give the position of a place in degreesnorth or south of the Equator. Longitude lines give the position of a place in degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian. When lines of latitude and lines of longitude are placed together, they form a network of lines or grid. Using such a map grid, it is possible to find the position of any place on the earth’s surface. On some map projections, the grid lines are curved like the earth’s surface for greater accuracy.

Use the map grid above to complete this chart:

Place / Latitude / Longitude
83N / 63 W
Halifax / 63 W
Ottawa
Prince Rupert / 54 N
48 N / 53 W
Vancouver / 123 W
62 N / 114 W
61 N / 135 W
42 N / 83 W
Winnipeg / 97 W

Latitude and Longitude Exercise 1

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

Use your MacmillanSchool Atlas and the map on page 28, North America Political Divisions, to give the latitude and longitude of each Canadian capital city.

City / Latitude / Longitude
St. John’sNF
CharlottetownPE
HalifaxNS
FrederictonNB
Quebec CityQC
TorontoON
OttawaON
WinnipegMB
ReginaSK
EdmontonAB
Victoria BC
WhitehorseYT
YellowknifeNT
Iqaluit NU

Name: ______

Date: ______

Class: ______

Mapping Unit Quiz – An Island of Your Own

You are the proud owner of an island. A map of your island is found with your test. Read the directions below carefully. Using what you learned in this mapping unit, follow the directions to add some important features to your map.

Remember: Latitude runs east and west and longitude runs north and south. Refer to the map symbols provided to help you out.

city / road / bridge / mountains
capital city / railroad / oilfields / airport
  1. Choose a name for your island. Print it neatly on the blank line above the map.
  1. Your island needs a capital city. Place the capital at 30 south latitude, 33 west longitude. Now choose a name for the capital and write it on the map. (Hint: Be sure to use the symbols from the legend map.)
  1. Place two other cities on your map, one at 44 south latitude, 36 west longitude; the other at 30 south latitude, 15 west longitude. Choose names for these cities and write them on the map.
  1. Draw roads connecting all three cities, making sure to add bridges if you need them.
  1. Show that there are oil fields in the southeastern part of your island.
  1. Since you have oil shipments, you will need a port nearby. Add a port city on the coast at 52 south latitude, 20 west longitude. Choose this port’s name and write it on the map.
  2. Draw a short railroad line from your oil fields to the new coastal port.
  1. Now add an airport to your map, using the airport as a symbol. Put it at 34 south latitude, 40 west longitude.
  1. Add a mountain range to your island. Use the correct symbol and place it in the northwestern area.
  1. Draw a scale under your map, showing 2cm equals 100 kilometers.
  1. Use your scale to figure out how far it is from the capital city to the oil fields. ______km
  1. Is your island above or below the equator? (circle the answer)
  1. Is your island east or west of the Prime Meridian? (circle the answer)
  1. What type of map is this?
  1. Explain the three parts of any atlas.

______
Below is an outline map of your imaginary island. The map includes a compass rose, as well as, lines of latitude and longitude. Your island lies south of the equator and west of the prime meridian. Upon completion, look carefully at the map to make sure you have followed the directions provided.

ISLAND OF ______