Globe : Latitudes and Longitudes

Question: What do you mean by globe? (Globe : Latitudes and Longitudes)
Answer: This globe is the miniature form of the earth. Another way we can tell this is the model of the earth.

Question: What do you mean by axis?
Answer: Axis means an imaginary line. In a globe in a tilted manner needle is fixed, which is known as axis. This needle passes through two poles; north and south pole.

Question: What do you mean by equator?
Answer: Equator is an imaginary line running on the globe divide it into equal two parts. Equator is also known as great circle as it is the big circle among the all parallel.

Question: What do you mean by parallels or latitudes?
Answer: Parallels or latitudes are imaginary lines spacing over the globe. These all latitudes are parallel to each other, including the equator. These parallels of latitudes are measured in degree.

Question: Mention the main parallels of latitude taken into consideration on the globe.
Answer: There are few parallels more important and always taken into consideration. Which are as follows:

  • Equator: divide the whole world into two hemisphere.
  • Tropic of cancer (23.5 degree north) and the tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degree).
  • Arctic circle (66.5 degree north) and Antarctic circle (66.5 degree south).
Question: What do you mean by torrid zone?

Answer: At least once a year the mid-day sun is exactly overhead on all latitudes between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of Capricorn. Therefore, this area receives more heat or maximum heat. This area is the torrid zone.

Question: Briefly explain about the temperate zone.
Answer: Beyond the tropic of cancer and the tropic of Capricorn the mid-day sun never shines overhead on the latitudes. As a result this area does not receives maximum heat of the sun. This area is mainly bounded by the tropic of cancer to arctic circle in the northern hemisphere and the tropic of Capricorn to Antarctic circle in the southern hemisphere. This area with medium temperature is the temperate zone.

Question: What do you mean by the frigid zone?
Answer: This area is mainly frozen area. The area between the arctic zone to the north pole in the northern hemisphere and the Antarctic zone to the south pole in the south hemisphere is known as the frigid zone. This area is very cold.

Question: Explain about the prime meridian.

Answer: All meridians are equal in size but not parallel like all latitudes. Hence it became very critical to give number to all meridians. After that all countries decided that the counting of meridians will be started from that meridian which is passes through the Greenwich. Here the British Royal Observatory is located. This meridian is the Prime Meridian.

Question: Explain about the relationship between longitude and time. (Globe : Latitudes and Longitudes)
Answer: Generally, 1 Degree longitudinal differences means 4 minutes time difference.
In about 24 hours takes to fully rotate (360 degrees) the earth.That means 15 degrees per hour and 1 degree per minute. In this way when it is 12 noon at Greenwich, the time at 15 degrees east of Greenwich will be 15 x 4= 60 minutes.

Question: Do you think ‘Standard time’ is necessary? – Explain.
Answer: Generally local time differ from one place to another with longitudinal differences. Therefore it will be very difficult to maintain a single time for the whole country which is large extension country like India. Hence, for solving such type of time related problem standard time is very significant.