Earth Science

Class Material for your Binder ( you can print or copy on your binder)

VIEWPOINTS

OBJECTIVE:

How latitude and longitude are used to identify locations on Earth.

LATITUD

¡  Lines running parallel to the equator are called lines of latitude. Latitude is the distance, measured in degrees either north or south of the equator.

¡  The equator is at 0° latitude, and the poles are each at 90° latitude.

¡  The equator is an imaginary line around Earth exactly halfway between the north and the south poles. It separates Earth into two equal halves called the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere.

LONGITUDE

¡  The vertical lines have two names the meridians and lines of longitude. Just as the equator is used as a reference point for lines of latitude, there is a reference point for lines of longitude.

¡  The prime meridian, this imaginary line represents 0° longitude. The astronomers decided the prime meridian should go through the Greenwich.

¡  Longitude refers to distances in degrees east or west of the prime meridian. 

TIMEZONES

¡  Time is measured by tracking Earth’s movement in relation to the Sun. Each day has 24 hours, so the Earth is divided into 24 time zones. Each time zone is about 15° of longitude wide and is 1 hour different from the zones on each side of it.

TIME ZONES IN USA

¡  The United States have six different time zones:

¡  Pacific Standard Time

¡  Mountain Standard Time

¡  Central Standard Time

¡  Eastern Standard Time

¡  Alaska Standard Time

¡  Hawaii Standard Time

The International Date Line is the transition line for calendar days.