CHAPTER ONE
FINDING YOUR WAY
WHAT ARE LINES OF
LATITUDE?
LINES OF LATITUDE
 Parallel lines drawn
east to west .
 They show distances
north or south of the
equator (0°).
 The equator in the
largest line of latitude
in terms of distance.
 Greatest distances
from equator:
90°N (North Pole)
90°S (South Pole)
1°latitude = 111km
MATH PROBLEM
 Calculate the distance from the north
pole to the south pole in km?
Special Lines of Latitude
 These lines are
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important due to the
tilt of the earth’s axis.
Tropic of Cancer –
23.5º N of the equator.
Tropic of Capricorn –
23.5º S of the equator.
Arctic Circle – 66.5°N
of the equator.
Antarctic Circle –
66.5°S of the equator.
The Tropics
 The sun is directly overhead at noon on the
Tropic of Cancer on June 21 (the beginning of
summer in the Northern Hemisphere) and the sun
is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of
Capricorn on December 21 (the beginning of
summer in the Southern Hemisphere).
 The area bounded by the Tropic of Cancer on the
north and Tropic of Capricorn on the south is
known as the "tropics."
Arctic and Antarctic Circle
 The Arctic and Antarctic Circles are located at
66.5 degrees latitude. This means that on
December 21, when the sun is directly over
the Tropic of Capricorn at noon, it will not be
visible from the Arctic Circle.
 On June 21st, when the sun is directly over
the Tropic of Cancer at noon, it is not visible
from below the Antarctic Circle.
What are lines of longitude?
 Lines drawn from
North/South.
 Shows distances
East/West of the
Prime Meridian(0°)
located in Greenwich,
England. The Prime
Meridian divides earth
into Western and
Eastern Hemisphere.
MORE ON LONGITUDE……
 All lines of longitude,
except the Prime
Meridian, lie 180º east
or west of the prime
meridian.
 At 180º east or west of
the Prime Meridian is
the International Date
Line, which lies on the
opposite side of the
earth.
Lines of Longitude
 There are 24 longitude lines, each
representing an hour difference from
Greenwich. This is why it takes the
Earth 24 hours to rotate on its axis.
 When it is 12 noon in Greenwich, it is
12 midnight on the other side of the
Earth, the International Dateline.
MATH PROBLEM
 If there are 24 lines of longitude and the
earth consists of 360º, how many
degrees are between each line of
longitude? How many degrees of
longitude account for a 1 hour time
difference?
Finding location using latitude
and longitude.
 Coordinates – where
lines of latitude and
longitude intersect.
 Absolute Location –
exact point on earth’s
surface using
coordinates.
 Relative Location –
General location
where place is
located. Described in
terms of direction
from another place.