Location
CGC1D
Location is how we determine where a place is. Without being able to understand where something is, it
would be impossible to find it. In geography, we use 2 types of location:
Relative and Absolute. Each type serves a different purpose for us, however, are equally important.
1.
Relative Location
- Where a place is located in comparison to another place.
- For example:
Exeter is located North of London
Grand Bend is located West of Exeter
Exeter is South of Clinton
- A place’s location will always depend on your starting point.
2.
Absolute Location
- The precise, direct, exact location of a place
- It is determined using measurements of latitude & longitude.
- For example:
Zurich is located at 43 25N 81 37W
Exeter is located at
43 21N 81 30W
Toronto is located at 43 42N 79 46W
- We call these location numbers “coordinates”
- Each coordinate is made up of 2 sets of 2 numbers, followed by a letter
- The first 2 numbers are degrees of latitude , the second two are minutes of latitude,
followed by the letter (N) - which indicates the location is north of the equator
Exeter - 43 21N - latitude
- The second set of numbers are degrees of longitude, followed by the minutes of longitude,
followed by the letter (W) - which indicates the location is west of the Prime Meridian
Exeter - 81 30W - longitude
- degrees of latitude range from 0 - 90, going either north or south of the equator
- degrees of longitude range from 0 - 180, going either east or west of the prime meridian
- minutes of latitude are measured from 0-60, each 60 minutes are equal 1 degree of latitude or
longitude
In our everyday lives, we speak in Relative terms, such as Tim Horton’s is located at the North end of
Exeter. It would not be convenient for us to give an absolute location for Tim Horton’s, as most of us do
not carry a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit and could not pinpoint its exact location. Furthermore,
most people would have no idea what we were talking about! So for everyday use, we give & receive
directions in Relative terms.
CGC 1D
LOCATION
Describe where the following places are located using Relative Location. Use
3 characteristics/indicators which would help someone to find the locations:
Tim Horton’s
1. ex. South of McDonald’s on Highway 4.
2.
3.
SHDHS
1.
2.
3.
London, Ontario
1.
2.
3.
Calgary, Alberta
1.
2.
3.
Moscow, Russia
1.
2.
3.
Describe where the following places are located using Absolute Location. You will need your Atlas in order
to accurately describe the Latitude/Longitude of the location using the coordinates provided. Make sure to
look in the proper section of the gazetteer!
1. Hensall, Ontario -
( 43 26 N,
81 31, W
)
2. Ottawa, Ontario -
(
)
3. Halifax, Nova Scotia -
(
)
4. Winnipeg, Manitoba -
(
)
5. Prague (Praha), Czech Republic - (
)
6. Barcelona, Spain -
(
)
7. Sao Paulo, Brazil -
(
)
8. Sydney, Australia -
(
)
9. Moscow, Russia -
(
)
10. San Francisco, USA -
(
)
Which type of location makes the most sense for us to use in our everyday lives?