Geography

Locating Places

By Gabriela Bonitto

The four main points of the compass are called cardinal point. They are- North, South, East and West.​

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Cardinal Points​​

Between each ​Cardinal point we have inter-cardinal points. These are- Southeast, Southwest, Northeast and Northwest.

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Inter-cardinal points​

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​A compass is an instrument used for navigation that shows direction relative to the geographic cardinal directions (or points). Usually, a diagram called a compass rose shows the directions north, south, east and west on the compass face as abbreviated initials. When the compass is used, the rose can be aligned with the corresponding geographic directions, for example, the 'N' mark on the rose really point northward. Compasses often display markings for angles in degrees in addition to (or sometimes instead of) the rose. North corresponds to 0 degrees and the angles increase clockwise, so east 90 degrees, south 180 degrees and the west is 270 degrees.

​Compass

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The measurement of distance north or south of the equator. It is measured with 180 imaginary lines that form circles around the Earth east to west parallel to the equator.​

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Latitude​

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Longitude measures distance east or west​ of the prime meridian. Lines of longitude, also called meridians, are imaginary lines that divide the earth. They run north to south from pole to pole, but they measure the distance east or west. Longitudes is measured in degrees, minutes and seconds

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​Longitude

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​This is a structure comprising of lines and latitude and longitude which intersect and are then used to locate places on a map.

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​Grid System

​A half of the globe

Hemisphere​

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The scale on a map shows the size of the area​ represented by the map. For example, a scale pf 1:10,000 on a map means that 1mm on the map is the same as 10,000 mm in reality.

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Scale​

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An equator is an imaginary line around the middle of a planet or other celestial bodies. It is halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole​ at 0 degrees latitude. An equator divides the Earth into a Northern Hemisphere and a Southern Hemisphere.

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​Equator

​The prime meridian is the imaginary line that divides the Earth into two equal parts: the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere. The prime meridian is also used as the basis for the world's time zones. Meridians are used to measure distance in degrees eats or west from the prime meridian.

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Prime Meridian​

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• Are known as parallels.

• Run in an ​east-west direction.

• Measure distance north or south from the equator

• Are parallel to one another and never meet.

• ​Cross the prime meridian at right angles

• Lie in planes that cross the Earth's axis at right angles.​

• Get shorter toward the poles, with only the Equator, the longest, a great circle.​

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Facts about lines of latitude​

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• Are known as meridians.

• Run in a north-south direction.

• Measure distance east or west of the prime meridian

• Are farthest apart at the Equator ​and meet at the poles.

• Cross the Equator at right angles.

• ​Lie in places that pass through the Earth's axis.

• Are equal in length.

• Are halves of great circles.​

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Facts about lines of longitude​

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