Page 39 - Geography for Secondary Schools Student’s Book Form One

Geography for Secondary Schools
Student’s Book Form One
Parallels and meridians and the South Pole has a latitude of 90°

Position of a place on the earth’s surface can South (Figure 3.11). The most common
be found by using parallels and meridians. parallels are the Equator (0°), the Tropic of
Traveling on the planet Earth by air, land Cancer (23½° N), the Tropic of Capricorn
or waterways needs knowledge of the (23½° S), the Arctic Circle (66½° N), the
distance, direction, and position of places Antarctic Circle (66½° S).
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you want to go. Also, in order for people 90°N
to perform different activities, they need 66½°N
enough knowledge of the places where the Artic Circle
activities are to be performed. Therefore, 23½°N
it is important to study about parallels and Tropical Cancer
meridians which are imaginary lines that
create a coordinate system on the earth’s 0° Equator 0°
surface, aiding in locating specific points
and defining geographical positions. Tropical Capricorn 23½°S

Activity 3.8 Antarctic Circle 66½°S
90°S
(a) Take a ball and draw a horizontal
line that divides the ball into two Figure 3.11: Latitudes
equal halves, the hemispheres.
(b) Draw another line that divides the (b) Longitudes
ball into two equal halves, vertically Longitudes are also known as meridians.
connecting top and bottom sides of They are angular distance measured in
the ball. degrees West or East of the Prime Meridian.
(c) Add more lines that circle the ball They are imaginary lines which run from
horizontally and vertically. the North Pole to the South Pole East or

(d) Name the horizontal and vertical West of the Greenwich meridian (0°). The
lines you have drawn in relation to Greenwich meridian is the prime meridian
parallels and meridians. which passes through the Greenwich
Observatory Station near London where it
(a) Latitudes derives its name. In Africa, it passes through
Latitudes also known as or parallels are Accra in Ghana.
imaginary lines parallel to the Equator The prime meridian divides the earth into
joining all the places at an equal angular East and West. Since there are 360º in the
measurement. The equator divides the Earth sphere, meridians of 0º to 180º lie east of
into two equal parts called hemispheres. the Greenwich meridian and the other 0º to
The two hemispheres are the Northern 180° west of Greenwich. Meridians are also
Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. characterised by the lines of uniform length,
The North Pole has a latitude of 90° North, and the width between lines decreases as

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