Geographic Grid: Latitudes and Longitudes

Vocabulary flashcards about Geographic Grids, Latitudes, and Longitudes.

Lines of Latitude

Lines running east to west, parallel to the Equator.

Lines of Longitude

Lines running north to south passing through the poles.

Geographic Grid

The framework formed by the intersection of latitudes and longitudes.

Lines of Latitude

Imaginary lines joining all places having the same latitude towards north or south of the Equator.

Latitude

The angular distance of a place north or south of the Equator.

Parallels of Latitude

Lines of latitude that are parallel to the Equator and each other.

Equator

The longest line of latitude, representing 0° latitude.

North Pole

Located at an angular distance of 90° north of the Equator.

South Pole

Located at an angular distance of 90° south of the Equator.

Tropic of Cancer

A line of latitude located 23½° north of the Equator.

Tropic of Capricorn

A line of latitude located 23½° south of the Equator.

Arctic Circle

Represents 66½°N latitude, marking the limit of the north polar region.

Antarctic Circle

Represents 66½°S latitude, marking the limit of the south polar region.

Equator

Divides the earth into two equal hemispheres, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Longitude

The angular distance of a place east or west of the Prime Meridian.

Prime Meridian

The line of longitude whose angular distance is defined as 0°, passing through Greenwich near London.

Meridians of Longitude

Lines of longitude, also known as meridians, converge at the poles and are of equal length.

Torrid or Tropical Zone

The area lying between the Tropic of Cancer (23½°N) and Tropic of Capricorn (23½°S).

Temperate Zones

The regions between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer, and the Antarctic Circle and the Tropic of Capricorn.

Frigid Zones

The regions between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole, and the Antarctic Circle and the South Pole.

Standard Time

The uniform time based on a central meridian.

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

The time at Greenwich (0° longitude) used as the mean time reference.

Indian Standard Time (IST)

82°30'E, the central meridian passing through Mirzapur in India.

International Date Line

The line of longitude at 180°, causing a time difference of a full day when crossed.

Great Circle

A circle drawn on the surface of a sphere with a radius equal to the sphere's radius and whose center is also the sphere's center.

Small Circles

Circles that do not pass through the center of the Earth.