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Globes, atlases and finding places on Earth
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Geographers need to know where places are. Continents, oceans, latitude and longitude give us a shared way to find anywhere on Earth.
Continents and oceans
There are seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Oceania (Australia and nearby islands).
There are five oceans: Pacific (the largest), Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic.
Asia is the largest continent by area and by population.
There are five oceans: Pacific (the largest), Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic.
Asia is the largest continent by area and by population.
Latitude
Lines of latitude run east to west around the globe. They measure how far north or south of the Equator (0 degrees) a place is.
Key lines: the Tropic of Cancer (about 23.5 degrees N), the Tropic of Capricorn (about 23.5 degrees S), the Arctic Circle (about 66.5 degrees N) and the Antarctic Circle (about 66.5 degrees S).
The Equator splits the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Key lines: the Tropic of Cancer (about 23.5 degrees N), the Tropic of Capricorn (about 23.5 degrees S), the Arctic Circle (about 66.5 degrees N) and the Antarctic Circle (about 66.5 degrees S).
The Equator splits the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Longitude
Lines of longitude run from the North Pole to the South Pole. They measure how far east or west a place is from the Prime Meridian (0 degrees), which passes through Greenwich in London.
A position is written latitude first, then longitude. London is about 51.5 degrees N, 0 degrees.
An atlas is a book of maps; its index gives each place's latitude and longitude.
A position is written latitude first, then longitude. London is about 51.5 degrees N, 0 degrees.
An atlas is a book of maps; its index gives each place's latitude and longitude.
A place is at 30 degrees S, 25 degrees E. Describe where it is.
- 30 degrees S means it is south of the Equator, in the Southern Hemisphere.
- 25 degrees E means it is east of the Prime Meridian.
- Looking in an atlas, this is in southern Africa (in South Africa).
Answer: Southern Hemisphere, east of the Prime Meridian: southern Africa.
Seven continents and five oceans; Asia and the Pacific are the largest. Latitude measures north or south of the Equator; longitude measures east or west of the Prime Meridian at Greenwich. Write latitude first.
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
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