Quizlet. Session 5. Representing the Earth's area

SESSION 5. REPRESENTING THE EARTH'S AREA

UNIT 1. PLANET EARTH

SESSION 5. REPRESENTING THE EARTH’S AREA

Geographic Network

You have to Know…

Geographers represent geographical space by using maps. The Earth’s shape is almost spherical. This is why it is represented by a globe or by projections onto a plane. Any point on the Earth’s surface can be located with a map. We use parallels and meridians to do this.

Latitude and longitude lines form an imaginary grid over the Earth's surface. By combining longitude and latitude measurements, any location on Earth can be determined.

The units of measurement for geographic coordinates are degrees (°), minutes ('), and seconds ("). Like a circle, the Earth has 360 degrees. Each degree is divided into 60 minutes. Each turn is divided into 60 seconds.

Latitude and longitude coordinates also include cardinal directions: north or south of the equator for latitude, and east or west of the prime meridian for longitude.

·        Aditional information

Parallels are imaginary circles perpendicular to the axis of the Earth. They are parallel to each other. They measure 360 degrees.

The Equator is the largest parallel and it divides the earth into two hemispheres: North and South.

Parallels

Features

- They are parallel to each other.
- Their number is infinite.
- They have E-W direction.
- Parallels and meridians cut each other at a right angle.
- They form a circumference of 360 º.

Main parallels

Main parallels Source: Factormonster.com

In the northern hemisphere: Tropic of Cancer: 23 degrees 27 'N. Arctic Circle: 66 ° 33 'N In the southern hemisphere: Tropic of Capricorn: 23 º 27 'S. Antarctic Circle: 66 ° 33 'S

The meridians are imaginary maximum semicircles from the north pole to south pole. They measure 180 degrees.

The meridian of reference (0 degrees) is Greenwich. Its name comes from the astronomical observatory located near London.

Meridians

Features

Meridian of Greenwich

There are infinite meridians. Their direction is N-S. They have their maximum separation in Ecuador and converge at the poles. They cut the parallels at right angles. The arc of a parallel has a value of 180 degrees.

·         Vocabulary

·          

-          Network: a system or group of connected parts

-          Grid: a structure made from horizontal and vertical lines crossing each other to form squares

-          Flat suface: the outer or top part or layer of something.

-          Scale: the set of numbers, amounts, etc used to measure or compare the level of something

-          Range: a group of different things of the same general type

-          Measurement: the act or process of measuring

-          Degree: an amount or level of something

-          Features: a typical quality, or important part of something

-          Right angle: an angle of 90°

-          Converge: When lines, roads, or paths converge, they move towards the same point where they join or meet

·         Exercises:

·          

1.    What are the latitude and longitude lines used for?

2.    Put in a table the main features of parallels and meridians.

·         Investigator’s corner

·          

-          Why the reference meridian is called Greenwich meridian?

Quizlet. Session 4. The Earth orbiting around the Sun

SESSION 4. THE EARTH'S ORBITING AROUND THE SUN

UNIT 1. PLANET EARTH

SESSION 4. THE EARTH IN MOTION

The  Earth’s orbiting around the Sun and its consequences

·         You have to Know…

Translation movement

It is the Earth’s movement around the Sun. It describes an elliptical orbit of 93 million km, maintaining a speed of 29.8 km / seconds.

A year

In this tour the Earth spends 365 days and 6 hours. Those 6 hours which are accumulated each year, after 4 years, they are 24 (one day). Each four years there is one that has 366 days, called leap year.

The plane that determines the Earth's orbit is called the ecliptic circle and is the maximum that the Earth describes in its movement around the Sun.

The seasons

The translation movement causes the four seasons.

The stations are determined by the tilt of the earth's axis on the ecliptic. According to the position of the sun-earth connection, some areas receive more solar radiation than others.

The change of seasons

Seasons are changing alternately by the hemisphere which is closer to the sun. When the northern hemisphere is the farthest from the sun, it will be winter, while simultaneously, the southern hemisphere is closer and then it is summer there.

There are 4 key positions in the movement of translation: Spring and Autumn (equinoxes) and Summer and Winter (solstices).

During the Spring equinox (March 21), in the northern hemisphere is Spring and in the Southern Hemisphere is Autumn. During the Autumn equinox (Sept. 23), in the northern hemisphere is Autumn and in the Southern Hemisphere is Spring. During the Winter solstice (Dec. 22) in the northern hemisphere is winter and in the south is Summer.	Summer solstice
During the Summer solstice (June 21), in the Northern hemisphere is Summer and in the south is Winter. Another effect of the inclination of the axis of the Earth on the ecliptic is the different duration of the day and the night, as Summer or Winter.

·         Aditional information

The existence of thermal zones:

·         Vocabulary

-          Equinoxes: when day and night are of equal length.

-          Solstices: the time of year when there is the greatest length of daylight (summer solstice) or the shortest (winter solstice)

-          Tropical: two imaginary circles running round the earth at about 23 degrees north ( Tropic of Cancer) or south ( Tropic of Capricorn) of the equator

-          Temperate: neither too hot nor too cold

-          Frigid: very cold.

-          Equator: an imaginary line (or one drawn on a map etc) passing round the globe, at an equal distance from the North and South pole

-          Season: one of the main divisions of the year according to the regular variation of the weather, length of day etc. There are four seasons: autumn. winter, spring and summer.

-          Demarcate: to show the limits of something

-          Length: the distance from one end to the other of an object, period of time etc

-          To find out: To discover or investigate something.

·         Exercises

1.    Write down the names of the Earth’s thermal zones, and the limits that demarcate them.

2.    Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Correct the false ones.

-          When one of the Earth’s hemispheres is turned away from the Sun, it is spring or autumn. (   )

-          At the solstices, day and night are of equal length in each hemisphere (   )

-          There are five seasons along the year (   )

-          The equator is in the frigid zone of the Earth (    )

3.    Why when it is summer in the northern hemisphere is winter in the southern?

·         Investigator’s corner

1.     Find out how many Kilometers per second the Earth travels during its revolution around the Sun, and how many kilometers it travels a day?