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Basic Geography: The Equator and also the element Meridian

• Latitude and Longitude • about Latitude and also Longitude • geography in General

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The planet is a globe, of course, and also can be separated into several lines dubbed latitude and longitude.

You are watching: How are the equator and prime meridian alike

Latitude lines operation east and west and measure north and also south; longitude lines run north and south and measure east and west. The lines measure distances in degrees.

But where execute you start? where is 0 degrees?

Well, that depends on whether you're trying to find 0 degrees latitude or 0 levels longitude. Castle are various things.

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The equator is 0 degree latitude. This imagine line, which operation through components of south America, Africa, and Asia, is officially the halfway point between the north Pole and the south Pole.

The prime meridian is 0 levels longitude.

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This imaginary heat runs with the united Kingdom, France, Spain, western Africa, and Antarctica.

By making use of the equator and prime meridian, we have the right to divide the world into four hemispheres, north, south, east, and west. For instance, the United states is in the west Hemisphere (because that is west that the element meridian) and also in the northern Hemisphere (because that is phibìc of the equator).

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The more quickly maps have actually the equator marked on them, yet it wasn't till the so late 19th Century the the element meridian was named. Till that time, as numerous as 14 different locations to be being established on miscellaneous maps as 0 degrees longitude. The global Meridian Conference the 1884 changed all that, naming an imagine line attracted through Greenwhich, England, together the element meridian.

These present are attracted only ~ above maps and also globes, however. You won't uncover an "equator line" ~ above the roadways of Brazil. These lines are just for the identification of whereby things are on a map or a globe.