World Space

Latitude & Longitude  We can divide the world up into regions the same way we can divide Canada.  The world is divided into four hemispheres – North, South, East and West.  Each hemisphere is divided by imaginary parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude.

Latitude  Latitude lines run horizontally around the earth.  Measured in degrees measured from north to south from the Equator

Longitude  These are lines drawn from North to South such that they depart and meet at the poles.  Longitude lines are measured in degrees starting at the Prime Meridian (0°) and go to 180° (Date Line)

Positioning  Latitude and Longitude divide the world into grids making it possible to locate all places in the world.  These lines are called co-ordinates  Absolute location are the exact location of a place or feature.  So to be more specific a degree is broken down into minutes and seconds.  1 degree = 60 minutes1°= 60’  1minute = 60 seconds60’ = 60”

 Ottawa is positioned at 45°24’ N, 75°38’W

Relative Location  We may describe a location of a place or feature in relation to another physical feature or place.  An example being that the town of Middleton is in the heart of the valley

Direction  If one is to move from one position on the earth to another position one must know where to move.  Direction can be defined as movement in relation to the North Pole.  The four main directions – North, South, East and West are called the cardinal points.

Time and Space  We have already looked at time zones to help us deal with the problems of communication and travel on the globe.  Another perspective to consider in dealing with the world is rate of travel.  Travel and methods of travel have changed over the years and we are moving faster from one location to the next. The time it takes to travel between two places is called the time distance.  A result of this time distance change affect the size of our space.