Name: _________________ Date: _________Period: ________________________
5 THEMES – LOCATION Relative and Absolute
Relative Location: The location of a place in relation to another place; Where a place is
described by it’s surroundings.
Absolute Location: The exact location of a place on the earth, measured by
latitude and longitude
Latitude: Lines of latitude measure North-South but run East-West. The space between
two meridians measured in degrees. These degrees are marked by lines called parallels
Longitude: Lines of longitude measure East-West but run North-South. The space
between two parallels measured in degrees. These degrees are marked by lines called
meridians.
Political Map: A map that shows the political boundaries of countries or states
Hemisphere: Half of the sphere; the earth (a sphere) is divided into four hemispheres by
the Equator and Prime Meridian (north, south, east and west)
Quadrant: When the Equator and Prime Meridian intersect, they create regions known
as quadrants.
HEMISPHERES / QUADRANTS
1. First, label the axis lines below with the cardinal directions. Then, in the appropriate
quadrant (each box made by the intersecting axis lines) sketch the described symbol in
each of the items below
*Mr. Pittard was flying his new Lear jet solo across the Atlantic. He crashed at the
following coordinates: 32 N and 156 E. Draw a stick figure in the appropriate quadrant
where Mr. Pittard is floating patiently for you to rescue him.
*Mrs. Watkins was digging at an archeological site and discovered the bones of a
previously undiscovered dinosaur. She named it Pittardosaurus. The bones were
discovered at the coordinates of 13 S and 143 W. Draw a bone in the proper quadrant
where the bones were found.
*Mr. Pittard and Mr. Fredrick spotted a UFO and were abducted by aliens at the
following coordinates: 133 N and 112 W. Draw a flying saucer in the quadrant where
the girls were last seen.
RELATIVE LOCATION
Give the relative location of each of the following places using cardinal and intermediate
(ordinal) directions. Use the atlas to complete #2.
1.
Give the relative location of the Wayne School of Engineering.
2.
Look at the world political map on pages 8 and 9 of your atlas. Complete the
following sentences to indicate the relative location of the places from each other.
*China is ___________________ from Mongolia and _________________ of India
*Afghanistan is _______________ from Iran and ___________________ of Pakistan
*Nigeria is __________________ from Angola and ___________________of Libya
ABSOLUTE LOCATION
Follow each pair of coordinates and give the name of the capital city located at those
coordinates. Also, write the name of the country in which the city is located. (check your
index to make sure you’re correct!) Use the world political map on pages 8 and 9 as a
starting point, and then use the index to go to the region where the coordinates indicate.
30 N, 31 E 15 N, 121 E 7 N, 11 W 36 N, 52 E 18 S, 48 E 2 S, 30 E 9 N,
74 W
BONUS QUESTIONS
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Look up the coordinates for Carson City, NV. Given these coordinates, which of the
above cities has the most similar climate (weather patterns) to Carson City? Justify your
answer using geographical terminology.
Name the cities above, if any, that lie in the Tropical Zone. Explain what makes them
Tropical using the coordinates in your justification.