Latitude & Longitude
–
How they work
Any Material in BLUE
should be copied down
These lines work together to form a grid
system on the globe which helps us to
locate different places
Latitude: Lateral (lines from East to West – “fatitude”)
Longitude: Lines from North to South
Page 44 of your atlas – find the approximate location of Penticton
Answer = 49.3N 119.35W
The other purpose of these lines is
to divide the globe into time zones
(specifically done by lines of
longitude).
Find the time difference if it is noon on
Wednesday in Penticton (pg. 28 in your atlas)
• Vancouver, BC =
• Greenwich, UK
(time zone “Z”) =
• Sydney, AUS
(time zone “K”) =
• Toronto, ON
(time zone “R”) =
Noon, Wednesday
8pm, Wednesday
6am, Thursday
3pm, Wednesday
LINES OF LATITUDE
Above
Equator,
Below
Arctic
Circle
The
Tropics
Below
Equator,
Above
Antarctic
Circle
Both Tropics mark the boundary of where the sun could be directly overhead at
noon during certain times of the year. 1 of the 5 “Great Circles”
These lines run horizontally
around the globe, parallel to each other.
There are approximately 111 km between
each degree of latitude.
The longest of these lines is the
EQUATOR, which circles the exact
middle of the globe
It is one of the GREAT CIRCLES as it
encompasses the circumference of the
Earth
Lines of latitude circle the globe at
varying degrees NORTH and SOUTH of
the equator. The lines are also given
numbers measured in degrees.
Equator
North Pole
South Pole
Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
=
=
=
=
=
0o
90o N
90o S
23.5o N
23.5o S
LINES OF LONGITUDE
All lines of longitude have two things in common:
-They run through both the North and South Poles
-They are all GREAT CIRCLES
Lines of Longitude are NOT parallel to each
other, however, like latitude, they are
numbered in degrees and measured EAST
and WEST of the PRIME MERIDIAN at 0o
Prime Meridian
My Uncle Patrick at the Prime
Meridian in Greenwich
Opposite of the prime meridian is the
INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE running
through 180o. This line allows for the change
in time zones and exists as an agreed point
that the day changes when you travel over it.
When crossing the International Date Line
going WEST you advance one day.
When crossing the International Date Line
going EAST you go back one day.
The Earth rotates fully every 24 hours.
Each of the 24 meridians equals one hour of
time (150).
Let’s draw all of those on our “globe”…
On your Balloons-Draw:
1. 24 meridians
2. Equator
3. International Dateline
The tilt of the globe and seasons…
The Earth tilts at an angle of 23.5o
Due to this tilt, the sun’s rays shine more
directly on either the Northern or Southern
hemispheres, giving us different seasons
Only the area of the Earth between the
Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn receive
direct sunlight all year.
IMPORTANT DATES
• June 21st Summer Solstice
(longest day of the year for N Hemisphere)
• September 23rd Autumnal Equinox
(equal day and night)
• December 21st or 22nd Winter Solstice
(shortest day of the year for N Hemisphere)
• March 21st
Vernal Equinox
(equal day and night)