Latitude and Longitude

Where are the north poles?

Where the axis of rotation passes through the Earth’s surface in the Northern Hemisphere

Where are the South Poles

Where the axis of rotation passes through the Earth’s surface in the Southern Hemisphere

What is the equatorial plane?

Flat sheet dividing Earth into the North and South hemisphere

What is the latitude?

Number relative to the equator indicating how North or South a point is
90 North Pole
0 Equator
-90 South Pole

What is the longitude?

Number relative to the prime meridian indicating how East or West a point is
+ - East of prime meridian
- - West of prime meridian

What is the antimeridian?

Opposite prime meridian, +180 or -180

What are meridians?

Describing how far east or west a point is, but we choose the same meridian (Prime Meridian) as it passes through Greenwich London.

What is the Earth’s axial tilt

• Axial tilt relative to the plane of the solar systems - causes seasons

• Sometimes N.Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun and the S.Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so N.Hemisphere - Summer and S.Hemisphere - Winter

  • When Earth is tilted on the other side of the Sun. N.Hemisphere i tilted away from the Sun and the S.Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so N.Hemisphere - Winter and S.Hemisphere Summer

What is the Arctic?

• When the Northern Hemisphere is tilting away from the Sun, the North Pole + a region around don’t get direct sunlight

• Bound by the Arctic Circle (66 latitude) which shows how South you should be to receive direct sunlight on the winter solstice.

What is the Antarctic?

• When the Earth is on the other side of the Sun, the South Pole is now tilting away from the Sun + a region around don’t get direct sunlight

• Bounded by the Antarctic Circle (-66 latitude) how North you muts be in order to receive any direct sunlight on the summer solstice

Tropical of Cancer

• Latitude at which Sun appears directly overhead on the June Solstice. +23 latitude, Northernmost latitude at which Sun can appear directly overhead

Tropic of Capricorn

Latitude at which Sun appears directly overhead on the December Solstice. -23 latitude, Southernmost latitude at which Sun can appear directly overhead

Equirectangular Projection

• Lines of latitude - horizontal

• Lines of longitude - vertical

• + - Simple

• - - Noticeable distortions 

Robinson Projection

• Line of latitude - horizontal

• Line of longitude - vertically curved

• + - land masses more accurate

• - - Antarctica too big