ASSIGNMENT #1-
Read Exercise 2 and Exercise 5 in the lab manual
(pages 5 - 8 and 19 - 24).
You will need a globe or a map of the world with latitude
and longitude on it to complete this lab.
Some of the questions about lengths of lines of latitude and longitude
are most easily visualized with a globe since many maps distort the length of
parallels of latitude near the poles.
Remember that the Earth is (nearly) round, so just looking at a map may
mislead you into a wrong answer on the questions about lengths of lines. Some of the different projections used in
maps are explained in Exercise 5.
When I Googled "latitude and
longitude" images, I found the
following good map sites. You may use
them or find your own. If you have an
atlas or globe at home, you may use that.
Also, I will provide a copy of a paper map at the orientation
session.
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_maps/world_pol98.jpg
http://www.ventanasvoyage.com/images/worldmap33.gif
http://www.4orienteering.com/grids/8/
PROBLEM: How can you
specify a location on a globe?
SOLUTION: State location
with reference to some known feature.
Locate
the following on a map of the world:
| Continents: | Mountains: | Bodies of water: | Other: |
| Asia | Alps | Atlantic Ocean | Mississippi river |
| Australia | Appalachians | Pacific Ocean | Nile River |
| Antarctica | Rocky Mountains | Indian Ocean | Amazon River |
| N. America | Sierra Nevada (USA) | Arctic Ocean | Spain |
| S. America | Cascades | Mediterranean Sea | Indonesia |
| Europe | Andes | Caribbean Sea | Japan |
| Pyrenees | Persian Gulf | Iceland | |
| Urals | Red Sea | ||
| Himalayas |
Latitude: Designated by parallels of latitude which are the lines which circle the
earth in an east-west direction. These
parallels of latitude mark the north and south distance from the equator on the
earth’s surface. The equator is 0° latitude, the
poles are 90° latitude; all
other points are between 0° - 90° south or
north of the equator.
All
parallels of latitude extend all the way around the earth. Would you have to walk the same distance if
you circum-navigated the earth at 10° latitude as at 75°? Explain your
answer.
Would
you have to walk the same distance if you circum-navigated the earth at 30° North
latitude as at 30° South
latitude? Explain your answer.
The
farthest one can be from the equator is _____________ degrees of latitude.
Do all parallels of latitude run
parallel to each other an equal distance apart?
What
is the approximate latitude of
the following
(degrees only, don't worry about minutes and seconds)? Be sure to
specify North or South!
Lake Tahoe The Amazon
Anchorage,
Alaska London,
England
New Zealand Iceland
South
Pole
Longitude: Designated by meridians of longitude which are
north-south trending lines which extend from pole to pole. These meridians mark the east-west distance
from the prime meridan on the earth’s surface.
The prime meridian (0°) runs through
the Royal Astronomical Observatory in Greenwich, England. Meridians run from 0°- 180°West and 0°-180° East.
Locate
the Prime Meridian on the attached map.
What countries does it run through other than England?
Where
is the 180°W meridian
located? Is it the same as the 180° E meridian?
Which
continents are in the Eastern hemisphere?
Which
continents are in the Western hemisphere?
Is
the 0° meridian of
longitude as long as the 0° parallel of
latitude? Explain.
Is
the 80°meridian of
longitude as long as the 80° parallel of
latitude? Explain.
Are
all meridians of longitude the same length?
Explain
Do
all meridians of longitude run parallel to each other an equal distance
apart? Explain.
What is the approximate longitude of each of the following? (be sure to specify East or West)
Lake Tahoe
Hawaii
The Nile
Iceland
Anchorage,
Alaska
Japan
Salamanca, Spain
