Mark Nicko E.

Paquibot July 12, 2018

Geography 1 – A

1. What is meant by Hemisphere?

Any circle drawn around the Earth divides it into two equal halves called hemispheres. There are
generally considered to be four hemispheres: Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western.

2. What divides the earth into Southern and Northern Hemispheres?

The Equator, or line of 0 degrees latitude, divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern
hemispheres. The Northern Hemisphere contains North America, the northern part of South America,
Europe, the northern two-thirds of Africa, and most of Asia. The Southern Hemisphere contains most of
South America, one-third of Africa, Australia, Antarctica, and some Asian islands 1

3. Compare the Hemispheres as to the distribution of land and water bodies

In comparison to the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere has fewer land masses and
more water. The South Pacific, South Atlantic, Indian Oceans and various seas such as the Tasman Sea
between Australia and New Zealand and the Weddell Sea near Antarctica make up around 80.9% of the
Southern Hemisphere. The land comprises only 19.1%. In the Northern Hemisphere, the majority of the
area is composed of land masses instead of water. The continents making up the Southern Hemisphere
include all of Antarctica, around 1/3 of Africa, most of South America and nearly all of Australia. 2

Define the following terms:

1. Meridians

The lines running north-south are known as lines of longitude. Longitude lines run north-south and
mark the position east-west of a point. Lines of longitude are known as meridians.  These lines run from
pole to pole, crossing the equator at right angles.

2. Parallels

The lines run east-west are known as lines of latitude. Lines of latitude are called parallels and in
total there are 180 degrees of latitude.  The distance between each degree of latitude is about 69 miles

1
Dunn, Margery G. (Editor). (1989, 1993). "Exploring Your World: The Adventure of Geography."
Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. Retrieved.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/hemisphere/

2
Geography of the Southern Hemisphere. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2018, from
https://www.thoughtco.com/geography-of-the-southern-hemisphere-1435565

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(110 kilometers).  The five major parallels of latitudes from north to south are called: Arctic Circle, Tropic
of Cancer, Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, and the Antarctic Circle. On a maps where the orientation of the
map is either due north or due south, latitude appears as horizontal lines. 

3. Longitude

The lines running north-south are known as lines of longitude. Longitude lines run north-south and
mark the position east-west of a point. Lines of longitude are known as meridians.  These lines run from
pole to pole, crossing the equator at right angles. There are 360 degrees of latitude and the latitude line
of 0 degrees is known as the Prime Meridian and it divides the world into the Eastern Hemisphere and
the Western Hemisphere (-180 degrees degrees of longitude west and 180 degrees of longitude east).

The distance between longitudes narrows the further away from the equator.  The distance
between longitudes at the equator is the same as latitude, roughly 69 miles. At 45 degrees north or
south, the distance between is about 49 miles (79 km). The distance between longitudes reaches zero at
the poles as the lines of meridian converge at that point.

4. Latitude

The lines run east-west are known as lines of latitude.  While lines of latitude run across a map east-
west, the point of latitude makes the n0rth-south position of a point on earth.  Lines of latitude start at 0
degrees at the equator and end a 90 degrees at the North and South Poles. Lines of latitude are called
parallels and in total there are 180 degrees of latitude.  The distance between each degree of latitude is
about 69 miles (110 kilometers).  The five major parallels of latitudes from north to south are called:
Arctic Circle, Tropic of Cancer, Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, and the Antarctic Circle. On a maps where
the orientation of the map is either due north or due south, latitude appears as horizontal lines.

5. Prime Meridian

The line of longitude where the degree is zero is known as the Prime Meridian.  Passing through
the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England, it is also known as the Greenwich Meridian and divides the
earth into two equal halves known as the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere

The lines running north-south are known as lines of longitude. Longitude lines run north-south and mark
the position east-west of a point. Lines of longitude are known as meridians.  These lines run from pole
to pole, crossing the equator at right angles.

6. International Date Line

The line on earth where one calendar day becomes the next is known as the International Date Line
(IDL).  The line is generally found 180 degrees from the Prime Meridian but the line circumvents some
regions and islands to avoid dividing contiguous pieces of regions and countries into two separate days.
There are 23 one-nour slices an two 30 minutes slices that divide the world up into different time zones.
Traveling from east to west over the International Date Line advances the calendar by one day. 3
3
Dempsey, C. (2014, August 25). Latitude and Longitude. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from
https://www.geolounge.com/latitude-longitude/.

2
 7. Special parallels

Latitude refers to the invisible horizontal lines that circle the earth. Four special parallels of latitude
mark a specific area on the planet that has a unique relationship with the sun. In addition, these four
lines mark the geographic boundaries of the frigid and torrid zones, which were first coined by Greek
philosopher Aristotle. He stated these two zones were inhabitable because of the cold climate found in
the frigid zone and the hot climate in the torrid zone.

The Arctic Circle runs at 66 degrees 33 minutes north latitude, making it the northernmost special
parallel of latitude. This invisible circle is about 1,650 miles south of the North Pole, and marks the
southernmost area on Earth where the sun doesn’t rise on the northern hemisphere's winter solstice. 

The Tropic of Cancer runs at 23 degrees 30 minutes north latitude and marks the northernmost area
in which the sun passes directly overhead in its most vertical position at noon. This event occurs during
the summer solstice for the northern hemisphere, which is usually June 21 or 22. The Tropic of Cancer
also is the northern border for an area called the tropics. Because the sun consistently stays high in the
sky year round, the tropics do not experience a range of seasonal climate changes.

Running at 23 degrees 30 minutes south latitude of the Equator, the Tropic of Capricorn is the
parallel that marks the southernmost area in which the sun passes directly overhead at noon. The sun
appears in its most vertical position during the southern hemisphere's summer solstice, which is usually
December 21 or 22. The parallel also makes up the southern border of the tropics area. 

The Antarctic Circle is the southernmost special parallel of latitude. It runs at 66 degrees 30 minutes
south latitude and marks the northernmost point on Earth where the sun remains visible for 24 hours
during the southern hemisphere’s summer solstice. This event, also called the midnight sun, generally
occurs on December 21 or 22. In addition, the sun does not seem to rise during the southern
hemisphere’s winter solstice, occurring on June 21 or 22. These events last about 24 hours at the
northernmost point of the Antarctic Circle to six months at the South Pole. The Antarctic Circle passes
through only one body of land: Antarctica. 4

8. Great Circle

A great circle is the largest possible circle that can be drawn around a sphere. All spheres have great
circles. If you cut a sphere at one of its great circles, you'd cut it exactly in half. A great circle has the
same circumference, or outer boundary, and the same center point as its sphere. The geometry of

4
Askins, A. (2017, October 18). What Are the Four Special Parallels of Latitude? Retrieved July 11, 2018,
from https://sciencing.com/what-are-the-four-special-parallels-of-latitude-12517328.html.

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spheres is useful for mapping the Earth and other planets. The Earth is not a perfect sphere, but it
maintains the general shape. All the meridians on Earth are great circles. Meridians, including the prime
meridian, are the north-south lines we use to help describe exactly where we are on the Earth. All these
lines of longitude meet at the poles, cutting the Earth neatly in half. The Equator is another of the
Earth's great circles. If you were to cut into the Earth right on its Equator, you'd have two equal halves:
the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Equator is the only east-west line that is a great circle. All
other parallels (lines of latitude) get smaller as you get near the poles. Great circles can be found on
spheres as big as planets and as small as oranges. 5

9. Low latitudes

 Areas described as having low latitude are those with lower coordinates or are closer to the
equator. For example, the Arctic Circle, which has a high latitude is at 66°32'N.

10. High latitudes

Those with high latitudes have high coordinates and are far to the equator. For example, Bogota,
Columbia with its latitude of 4°35'53''N is at a low latitude. 6

5
Evers, J. (Ed.). (2013, January 24). Great circle. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-circle.

6
Briney, A. (2017, March 17). Latitude Latitude is Measured in Degrees North and South of the Equator.
Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/latitude-geography-overview-1435187

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 Bibliography

Askins, A. (2017, October 18). What Are the Four Special Parallels of Latitude? Retrieved July 11,
2018, from https://sciencing.com/what-are-the-four-special-parallels-of-latitude-12517328.html.

Briney, A. (2017, March 17). Latitude Latitude is Measured in Degrees North and South of the
Equator. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/latitude-geography-overview-
1435187

Dempsey, C. (2014, August 25). Latitude and Longitude. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from
https://www.geolounge.com/latitude-longitude/.

Dunn, Margery G. (Editor). (1989, 1993). "Exploring Your World: The Adventure of Geography."
Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. Retrieved.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/hemisphere/

Evers, J. (Ed.). (2013, January 24). Great circle. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-circle.

Geography of the Southern Hemisphere. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2018, from
https://www.thoughtco.com/geography-of-the-southern-hemisphere-1435565