The globe of the Earth stands in space, made up of water,
earth, fire and air and is spherical. … It is surrounded by
all creatures, terrestrial as well as aquatic. — Ä€ryabhaá¹a (about 500 CE)
This Chapter Answer the questions :
- What is a map and how do we use it? What are its main components?
- What are coordinates? How can latitude and longitude be used to
mark any location on the Earth? - How are local time and standard
time related to longitude?
What is Map ?
a map is a representation, or a drawing, of some area
Different Kinds of Map :
- physical maps : which mainly show some natural
features such as mountains, oceans and rivers - political maps : which show details of countries or
states, boundaries, cities, etc. (for instance, a map of
India with all its States, Union Territories and their
capitals) - thematic maps : with a specific kind of information
Three important components of maps : —distance, direction and symbols
map’s scale : , the actual distance between two points represented on the map depends on the scale that the map is using.
Four Main Directions : North, East, South , West ( These are called the cardinal directions )
Intermediate directions ( northeast (NE), southeast (SE), southwest (SW) and northwest (NW).
Mapping the Earth
Globe
coordinates
Latitude : parallel of latitude , Latitudes are expressed in degrees ,by convention, the Equator is latitude 0° (zero degree), while the latitudes of the two poles are 90° North and 90° South respectively; this is noted 90°N and 90°S.There is a connection between latitude and climate. Around
the Equator, the climate is generally hot (it is also called
‘torrid’). As you travel away from the Equator towards one
of the two poles (in other words, as your latitude increases),
the climate becomes more moderate (or ‘temperate’). And
closer to the North or South Pole, the climate grows colder
(or ‘frigid’).
