01 the earth and the graticule - target publications

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Chapter 1: The Earth and the Graticule

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1. The Earth and the Graticule

1. Earth and the Globe:

i. Directions are used by each person to determine the location of different places on

earth.

ii. However, for each person the direction of the same place will be different with

respect to his/her location. Hence, we can infer that, directions alone are not

enough to exactly determine the location of a place on earth.

iii. This difficulty can be solved if lines parallel to each other are drawn around the

earth.

iv. The length of earth’s diameter along the north-south direction is 12714 kilometres,

while that along the east-west direction is 12756 kilometres. Due to such large size

of the earth and also due to the oceanic waters, uneven nature of land and forests,

innumerable islands of different sizes and buildings, it is practically not possible to

draw such lines around the earth.

v. Hence, geographers developed a miniature model of the earth, called the Globe, to

overcome this difficulty.

2. Angular Distance:

i. The location of any place on the earth is determined with reference to the centre

of the earth.

ii. Consider a straight line joining the centre of the earth with the point on the surface

of earth whose location is to be determined. This line makes an angle at the centre

along with the plane of the equator. By measuring this angle, we get the location of

that point on the earth.

3. Parallels of Latitude:

i. The east-west circles created at some angular distance from the centre of the earth

are called parallels of latitudes.

ii. The angular distances of all parallels are measured in degrees and are called

latitudes.

iii. The angles of the parallels of latitude increases from the equator towards the north

and south.

4. Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, North Pole and the South

Pole:

i. The imaginary line around the earth which divides the earth into two equal

hemispheres viz., the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere is called

as the equator.

ii. The degrees of the parallels are measured from the equator. Hence, the equator is

considered as 0° parallel. The equator is the largest parallel and also a great circle.

iii. The parallels of latitude become smaller and smaller towards the north and the

south of the equator.

iv. They appear as points on the extreme north and south end of the earth’s axis and

are known as the North Pole and the South Pole respectively.

Let’s Revise

Std. VI: Geography Workbook

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v. The value of each parallel of latitude is mentioned by writing the suffix ‘N’ or ‘S’ after

the measure of its angle, to denote whether they lie to the North or South of the

equator.

vi. Each parallel of latitude joins all the places which are at the same angular distance

from the equator.

vii. One can draw 181 parallels of latitude on the earth at an interval of 1°.

5. Meridians of Longitude:

i. The semicircles from North Pole to South Pole created at some angular distance from

the centre of the earth are called meridians of longitude.

ii. The angular distances of all meridians are measured in degrees.

6. Prime Meridian, Eastern hemisphere and Western Hemisphere:

i. The meridian which passes through the point associated with 0° is called as the

Prime Meridian. The angular distance of the other meridians are measured from the

prime meridian.

ii. The 0° and 180° meridians lie on the opposite sides of the globe, forming a circle.

This circle divides the earth into eastern hemisphere and western hemisphere.

iii. The length of all the meridians (i.e., the length of the semicircles) is equal.

iv. The value of each meridian is mentioned by writing the suffix ‘E’ or ‘W’ after the

measure of its angle, to denote whether they lie to the East or the West of the Prime

Meridian.

v. Each meridian of longitude joins all the places which are at same angular distance

from the Prime Meridian.

vi. One can draw 360 meridians on the earth at an interval of 1°.

7. Distance between Parallels and Meridians:

i. The exact location of every place on the earth can be found with help of the parallels

of latitude and the meridians of longitude.

ii. The distance between two adjacent parallels of latitude is same everywhere and it is

111 km.

iii. However, the distance between the adjacent meridians of longitude is not the same

everywhere. The distance between two adjacent meridians of longitude is maximum

at the equator (111 km) and goes on reducing towards the poles. It is zero at the

north and the south poles.

iv. Thus, one degree of latitude is equal to 111 km on the earth's surface, while one

degree of longitude is also equal to 111 km on the earth’s surface at the equator.

v. Each degree of latitude and longitude is further divided into minutes and seconds to

exactly locate the places lying between their two adjacent lines.

8. The Graticule:

i. The net formed by the parallels of latitude and the meridians of the longitude is

known as the Graticule.

ii. The graticule helps in determining the location of a place on the earth.

iii. Some of its modern day applications include the Geographical Information System

(GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Google Maps, Wikimapia and Bhuvan of ISRO

on the internet. This technology can also be accessed via mobile phones and in

motor cars.

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Tick the Correct Alternative

1. Tick the correct alternative from the options given:

i. Whose miniature model developed by the geographers is called as a globe?

Earth Moon Sun

*ii. What term is used for the imaginary east-west horizontal lines on the earth?

Meridians International Date Line Parallels

iii. What bisects the earth into northern and southern hemisphere?

Equator Prime Meridian Tropic of Cancer

*iv. Which circle appears as a point on the globe?

Equator North / South Pole Prime Meridian

*v. How many places on the earth may be located on 45° N parallel?

one many two

*vi. How many parallels are there in the northern hemisphere?

90 89 91

*vii. What is the shape of the meridian?

Circular Semicircular Points

*viii. Which circle forms the eastern and western hemisphere?

0° parallel and 0° Prime Meridian and North and

180° meridian 180° meridian South Polar circles

ix. Where does the distance between the adjacent meridians become zero?

Equator Tropic of North and

Cancer / Capricorn South Poles

*x. What do the parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude together form on the globe?

Angular Distance Hemisphere Graticule

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Summative Assessment


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*2. Find the correct graticule out of the following and put a tick mark � against it.

Right or Wrong ? If Wrong, write the correct sentence

*1. Observe a globe and examine the following statements. Correct the wrong ones.

i. Parallels of latitude lie parallel to the Prime Meridian.

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ii. All parallels of latitude converge at the equator.

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iii. Parallels and meridians are imaginary lines.

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iv. Meridians are parallel to each other.

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v. 8°4′65′′ is a north meridian.

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S

N

S

S

N

S

N

N

Q ��

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Define

1. Use your brain power (Textbook pg. no. 3)

Explain the meaning of the term Equator.

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2. Parallels of latitude

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3. Meridians of longitude

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Complete the table (Textbook pg. no. 9)

Characteristics Parallels of Latitude Meridians of Longitude

Shape

Size Size of each parallel is different

Distance

Distance between two meridians is

larger on the equator and the same

decreases towards the Poles.

Answer in One Sentence

1. Which is the largest parallel of latitude?

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2. What is north pole?

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3. How many parallels can be drawn on the earth at the interval of 1°?

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4. What is 0° meridian is known as?

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5. What is the distance between any two adjacent parallels on the surface of the earth?

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6. How are latitudes and longitudes expressed conventionally?

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7. What is the distance between two consecutive meridians at polar circles?

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Answer the following

1. Mention the reasons which were responsible for the development of the globe by

geographers.

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*2. How much is the angular distance between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn?

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*3. How will you express the latitude and longitude of the North Pole?

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*4. Write down the main uses of the graticule.

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Give reasons

1. Distance between two adjacent parallels is same everywhere, but the distance between two

adjacent meridians is not the same everywhere.

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1. How are the angular units of measurement of latitudes and the longitudes further divided to

exactly locate a place on the earth?

2. Give brief information about the Indian Regional Positioning System.

Oral Test

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Apply your Knowledge

1. Make friends with maps! (Textbook pg. no. 1)

Observe the figure 1.1 on pg. no. 1 of your textbook and answer the following questions:

i. Which places are shown on the map?

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ii. In which city is the Taj Mahal located?

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iii. In which continent is the Taj Mahal located?

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iv. In which direction is the Taj Mahal located for Graham in St. Petersburg, for Katya in Kimberly,

for Michiko in Tokyo and Minakshi in Port Blair?

Ans: The direction of Taj Mahal will be different for each person as:

Name of the person Direction of Taj Mahal

Graham in St. Petersburg

Katya in Kimberly

Michiko in Tokyo

Minakshi in Port Blair

v. Shahid in Agra is specifying the directions in which the others live. How will he express them?

Ans: Shahid in Agra will specify the directions of the people in the map as follows:

Name of the person Their direction with respect to Shahid in Agra

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Formative Assessment

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vi. In what direction will Natalia in Rome and Enrike in Lima say the other child lives? Will their

answers be the same?

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2. Think a little! (Textbook pg. no. 2)

Observe the globe in your school. Think about the following questions and then discuss them.

i. There are some vertical and horizontal lines on the globe. Which of these lines are more in

number?

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ii. What labels do these lines have? What similarities and differences do you see in the labels?

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iii. Will it be possible to actually draw such lines on the earth?

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3. Intext Question (Textbook pg. no. 2)

i. Look at the figure 1.3 on textbook pg. no. 2 and tell the angular distance of ‘Y’ from the equator.

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ii. Figure 1.3 on textbook pg. no. 2 shows another plane. It passes through X. It is parallel to the

plane of the equator. Observe and see how it meets the surface of the earth.

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4. Do it yourself! (Textbook pg. no. 2)

Use figure 1.4 on pg. no. 3 of your textbook for the following:

i. In the upper portion of the circle, at the centre X, draw angles of 20°, V1XK1 and V2XK2; K1 and K2

being the points on the circle. Draw an ellipse joining K1 and K2.

ii. In the lower half of the circle, mark angles of 60° and name the points on the circle as P1 and P2.

iii. Draw an ellipse joining P1 and P2.

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5. Can you tell? (Textbook pg. no. 3)

[Refer the diagram obtained in formative question no. 4]

i. Are the distances between K1K2 and P1P2 the same?

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ii. Compare the distances XK1 and XP2. Are these distances the same or are they different?

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iii. Now compare the ellipses you have drawn. Which is the larger ellipse? Why?

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i. Take an orange and peel off its skin. You will see the segments inside and thin vertical lines on

them. Carefully take out one segment. Observe the segment and the gap it has left in the

orange. See the figure 1.7 in your textbook pg. no. 5.

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North

X

V1

South

V2

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ii. See if the shape of the central and terminal portion of the segment is the same or different.

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iii. See if the angle of the gap is the same at all points.

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iv. Find how many segments are there in an orange.

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Use figure 1.9 on textbook pg. no. 5 to do the following:

Let the line AM be 0°.

Draw the line MB. Measure the angle it makes with the line

AM and write it near B. Note the semicircle that passes

through B and joins the North and South Poles. Trace it.

Now join MC. Measure ∠AMC and write it next to C. Draw a

semicircle that passes through ‘C’ and joins the North and

South Poles.

Draw a line that passes through point A at 0°, and joins the

North and South Poles.

*8. Use a Globe

Using a globe, write down the names of the countries through which the equator passes.

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9. Think a little! (Textbook pg. no. 6)

i. A game of reading the meridians on the world map is going on. Shaheen and Sanket are asking

each other to locate places on specific meridians and are making notes of the same. Shaheen

asks Sanket to locate Wrangel Island on 180° meridian. Sanket could locate the island in the

map but both are confused while making a note of it. They are puzzled whether to write 180°E

or 180°W? What would be the precise answer? Please help them.

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North Pole

M

Equator

B A0°

South Pole

C


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ii. Can we use a similar logic with reference to 0° meridian as well.

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10. Use your brain power! (Textbook pg. no. 7)

How many parallels and meridians can be drawn on a globe at an interval of 10°?

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Activity / Project

*1. Activity

Look at the photographs shown on your textbook pg. no. 9.

Try to draw graticule on a ball as shown in the figure.

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Grades:

A - Excellent Teacher’s Remark:------------------------------------------------------------

B - Good ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C - Fair Date:--------------------

Sign:--------------------------

01 the earth and the graticule - target publications

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