Social Studies - Grade 5 Longitudes

Part- 2 Locating places on Earth

• Longitudes
• Characteristics of Longitudes

Meaning -

Longitudes are imaginary lines that are drawn from one pole to the other. i.e. It starts from the North Pole and ends at the South Pole. These are also known as MERIDIANS, which means midday in Latin.

Prime Meridian / Greenwich Meridian

• The latitudes are also numbered and the central longitude that divides the Earth into the Eastern and the Western Hemisphere is known as the Prime Meridian.

• It is the 0 degree meridian.

• It is also known as the Greenwich Meridian as it runs through Greenwich, London.

Characteristics:-

All the meridians meet at the poles. 

No two meridians are parallel to each other. 

There are 360 meridians in all. 179 meridians from East and 179 from West. The Meridian of 180 degree is the same line.

All meridians are of the same length and each one is a semi-circle.

If any two opposite meridians are taken together, they form a complete circle, which is a great circle.

Hemispheres:-

• The Prime Meridian divides the earth into two halves -

• THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE

• THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

• A country many have many pongitudes passing through it.

Multiple Select

The Prime Meridian is numbered as -

• 180 degree

• 179 degree

• 360 degree

• 0 degree

Multiple Select

The meridian opposite to the prime meridian is numbered as 180 degree.

• True

• False

• Never

• sometime

Multiple Select

Longitudes are semi-circles drawn from pole to pole.

• False

• True

• Never

Multiple Select

Longitudes are also called -

• meridians

• grids

• parallels

• Equator

Multiple Select

There are _______________ meridians in all.

• 181

• 360

• 179

• 180

Multiple Select

A country may have ____________ longitude (s) passing through it.

• one

• many

• at least 2

• at least 5