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Meridians and parallels
Meridians and parallels
Meridians and parallels
coordinate lines on a map or globe. Meridians are lines of constant longitude that pass through both poles of the planet and indicate the north-south direction, and parallels are lines of constant latitude that run parallel to the equator in the west-east direction. Intersecting, these lines form a grid on the map geographical coordinates. Usually, integer meridians and parallels are drawn, but for accurate plotting and recording of coordinates, the grid can be condensed to minutes (and on large-scale maps - even to seconds). For this purpose, the cards have a minute frame where fractions of degrees are marked. Depending on the method of determination, astronomical, geodetic, geographical and geomagnetic meridians and parallels are distinguished, and on the celestial sphere, respectively, celestial meridians and parallels.
Geography. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Rosman. Edited by prof. A. P. Gorkina. 2006 .
See what “meridians and parallels” are in other dictionaries:
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Today there is not a single area left on Earth that has not been studied by man or at least visited! How more information appeared about the surface of the planet, the more pressing the question arose of determining the location of this or that object. Meridians and parallels, which are elements of the degree grid, help to find the geographic address of the desired point and facilitate the process of orienting on the map.
History of cartography
Humanity did not immediately come to this simple way determining the coordinates of an object, such as calculating its longitude and latitude. Familiar to all of us from school, the main lines gradually appeared in the sources of cartographic knowledge. Below is information about several key stages in the history of the formation of such sciences as geography and astronomy, which led civilization to the creation of a modern map with a convenient degree grid.
- One of the "ancestors" natural sciences It is believed that Aristotle was the first to prove that our planet has a spherical shape.
- The ancient travelers of the Earth were very observant, and they noticed that in the sky (according to the stars), the direction N (north) - S (south) can be easily traced. This line became the first “meridian”, an analogue of which today can be found on the simplest map.
- Eratosthenes, who is better known as the “father of the science of geography,” made many small and large discoveries that influenced the development of geodesy. He was the first to use scaphis (ancient sundial) to calculate the height of the sun over the territory of different cities and noticed a significant difference in his measurements, which depended on the time of day and season. Eratosthenes discovered the connection between the sciences of geodesy and astronomy, thereby making it possible to carry out many studies and measurements earthly territories with the help of celestial bodies.
Degree grid
Numerous meridians and parallels, intersecting on a map or globe, are connected into a geographical grid consisting of “squares”. Each of its cells is limited by lines that have their own degree. Thus, using this grid you can quickly find the desired object. The structure of many atlases is designed in such a way that different squares are considered on separate pages, which allows you to systematically study any territory. With development geographical knowledge The globe was also improved. Meridians and parallels are available on the very first models, which, although they did not contain all reliable information about the objects of the Earth, but already gave an idea of the approximate location of the desired points. Modern maps have the required elements that make up the degree grid. Using it, coordinates are determined.
Elements of the degree grid
- The North (above) and South (below) poles are the points at which the meridians converge. They are the exit points of a virtual line called an axis.
- Polar circles. The boundaries of the polar regions begin with them. The Arctic Circles (Southern and Northern) are located beyond the 23rd parallel towards the poles.
- It divides the surface of the Earth into Eastern and and has two more names: Greenwich and Primary. All meridians have the same length and connect the poles on the surface of a globe or map.
- Equator. It is oriented from W (west) to E (east), which divides the planet into South and Northern hemisphere. All other lines parallel to the equator have different sizes- their length decreases towards the poles.
- Tropics. There are also two of them - Capricorn (South) and Cancer are located on the 66th parallel south and north of the equator.
How to determine the meridians and parallels of the desired point?
Any object on our planet has its own latitude and longitude! Even if it is very, very small or, conversely, quite large! Determining the meridians and parallels of an object and finding the coordinates of a point is the same action, since it is the degree of the main lines that determines the geographic address of the desired territory. Below is a plan of action that can be used when calculating coordinates.
Algorithm for the address of an object on the map
- Check the correctness geographical name object. Annoying mistakes happen due to simple inattention, for example: a student made a mistake in the name of the desired point and determined the wrong coordinates.
- Prepare an atlas, a sharp pencil or pointer and a magnifying glass. These tools will help you more accurately determine the address of the desired object.
- Select the largest-scale map from the atlas on which the desired geographical point. The smaller the map scale, the more errors appear in the calculations.
- Determine the relationship of the object to the main mesh elements. The algorithm for this procedure is presented after the point: “Calculating the size of the territory.”
- If the point you are looking for is not located directly on the line marked on the map, then find the nearest ones that have digital designation. The degree of lines is usually indicated along the perimeter of the map, less often - on the equator line.
- When determining coordinates, it is important to find out how many degrees the parallels and meridians are located on the map and correctly calculate the required ones. It must be remembered that the elements of the degree grid, except for the main lines, can be drawn through any point on the Earth's surface.
Calculating the size of the territory
- If you need to calculate the size of an object in kilometers, then you need to remember that the length of one degree of grid lines is 111 km.
- To determine the extent of an object from W to E (if it is completely located in one of the hemispheres: Eastern or Western), it is enough to use greater value latitude of one of extreme points, subtract the smaller one and multiply the resulting number by 111 km.
- If you need to calculate the length of a territory from N to S (only if it is all located in one of the hemispheres: Southern or Northern), then you need to subtract the smaller one from the larger degree of longitude of one of the extreme points, then multiply the resulting amount by 111 km .
- If the Greenwich meridian passes through the territory of an object, then to calculate its length from W to E, degrees of latitude of the extreme points this direction are added up, then their sum is multiplied by 111 km.
- If the equator is located on the territory of the designated object, then to determine its extent from N to S it is necessary to add the degrees of longitude of the extreme points of this direction, and multiply the resulting sum by 111 km.
How to determine the relationship of an object to the main elements of the degree grid?
- If an object is located below the equator, then its latitude will be only southern, if above - northern.
- If the desired point is located to the right of the prime meridian, then its longitude will be eastern, if to the left - western.
- If an object is located above the 66th degree north or south parallel, then it enters the corresponding polar region.
Determining the coordinates of mountains
Since many mountain systems have a large extent in different directions, and the meridians and parallels crossing such objects have different degrees, the process of determining their geographical address is accompanied by many questions. Below are options for calculating the coordinates of the high territories of Eurasia.
Caucasus
The most picturesque mountains are located between two water areas of the mainland: from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. Meridians and parallels have different degrees, so which ones should be considered determining for the address of a given system? In this case, we focus on the most highest point. That is, the coordinates mountain system The Caucasus is the geographical address of Elbrus Peak, which is equal to - 42 degrees 30 minutes northern latitude and 45 degrees east longitude.
Himalayas
The highest mountain system on our continent is the Himalayas. Meridians and parallels, having different degrees, intersect this object as often as the above-mentioned one. How to correctly determine the coordinates of this system? We do the same as in the case of the Ural Mountains, we focus on the highest point of the system. Thus, the coordinates of the Himalayas coincide with the address of the Qomolungma peak, and it is 29 degrees 49 minutes north latitude and 83 degrees 23 minutes and 31 seconds east longitude.
Ural Mountains
The longest on our continent are the Ural Mountains. Meridians and parallels, having different degrees, intersect a given object in different directions. To determine coordinates Ural mountains you need to find their center on the map. This point will be the geographic address of this object - 60 degrees north latitude and the same eastern longitude. This method of determining the coordinates of mountains is acceptable for systems that have a large extent in one of the directions or in both.
“And cities and countries, parallels, meridians flash by,” is sung in a song called “Globe.” But if the cities and countries indicated on the globe exist in reality, then parallels and meridians are imaginary objects, marked on the globe or map solely for ease of reading and orientation.
The best assistant in orientation is a coordinate system, which must have a reference point. For the Earth (however, the same principle can be applied to any other planet or its satellite - there would be a reason for it) such an imaginary “zero point” was determined with the help of poles - points through which its axis of rotation passes. North Pole- the object is rather mathematical, it is located in the Arctic Ocean, but South Pole- a very real point on land, on a continent called Antarctica, you can get there, you can take pictures there - if you are not afraid of freezing, of course...
So, at an equal distance from these same poles, in the middle between them, there is an imaginary “belt” of the Earth, dividing the planet in half, into the North and Southern Hemisphere. Most continents are in one of them, and only Africa is in both. So, the equator is the “reference point”, which is considered zero latitude. Imaginary lines drawn on a map and globe parallel to the equator are called parallels.
Latitude is measured in degrees, 1 degree is approximately 111 km. They calculate it from the equator (the farther from it, the larger number: equator – 0 degrees, poles – 90 degrees). North of the equator is the degree of northern latitude, and to the south is the degree of east longitude. There is another way of notation: south of the equator, latitude is written with a minus sign (this can be understood: those who created geographical science, lived in the Northern Hemisphere, and your own shirt, as you know, is closer to the body).
All this, of course, is wonderful, but...
Let us recall J. Verne’s novel “The Children of Captain Grant.” The heroes who went to help Captain Grant and his companions who survived the shipwreck knew that their location was thirty-seven degrees eleven minutes south latitude. To find them, the heroes had to travel around the world along this parallel.
To avoid such difficulties, there is a second coordinate - longitude, and on the map it is indicated by meridians - lines connecting the poles.
If we wanted to choose a parallel for the longest trip around the world, it would undoubtedly be the equator. But choosing a meridian for such a matter will not work - they are approximately the same, so choosing a starting point among them is not so easy, so for a long time in this regard, there was discrepancy: in France the Paris meridian was taken as the reference point, in Russia it was taken as passing through the Pulkovo Observatory, etc. Finally, in 1884 at International conference in Washington they adopted a single reference point - the meridian passing through the axis of the passage instrument of the Greenwich Observatory - administrative district London on the right bank of the Thames. It is from the Greenwich meridian that the western and eastern longitudes are calculated (the heroes of the mentioned novel were unlucky: the longitude in the note was washed away by water).
It is more difficult to name the number of kilometers in one degree of longitude than in relation to latitude: it is not the same across different latitudes– at the equator it is also 11 km, and the closer to the poles, the less).
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