Objective Type Questions and Answers
- What is the latitude of Equator?
Answer: 0° - What is the latitude of Tropic of Cancer?
Answer: 23 ½° North - What is the latitude of Arctic Circle?
Answer: 66 ½° North - What is the latitude of Tropic of Capricorn?
Answer: 23 ½° South - What is the latitude of Antarctic Circle?
Answer: 66 ½° South - Which is the longest line of latitude?
Answer: Equator - Which latitudes are known as low latitudes?
Answer: 0° to 30° - Which latitudes are known as Mid latitudes?
Answer: 30° to 60° - Which latitudes are known as High latitudes?
Answer: 60° to 90° - Which star is located vertically above the North Pole?
Answer: Pole-Star - How many lines of latitude are there?
Answer: 180 + 1 = 181 - How many lines of longitude are there?
Answer: 360 – 1 = 359 - What is the location of international date line?
Answer: 180° E – W meridian - Which meridian is called Prime Meridian?
Answer: 0° meridian - What is the value of equator?
Answer: 0° latitude - What is the value of Prime Meridian?
Answer: 0° longitude - What is the approximate distance covered by 1° latitude?
Answer: 111 km - What is the difference of time for 1° of longitude?
Answer: 4 minutes - Name the two basic lines of reference for location of a place on Earth.
Answer: Prime Meridian and equator - What does the word ‘meridian’ mean?
Answer: ‘Mid-Day’ - Into how many time zones has the world been divided?
Answer: 24 - Where is the place Greenwich located?
Answer: On 0° longitude (Britain) near London - Who devised the lines of latitude and longitude?
Answer: Eratosthenes - Name the two hemispheres of the Earth made by the equator.
Answer: Northern and Southern Hemisphere - Name the thermal zones of the Earth.
Answer: Tropical, Temperate and Polar - Which temperature zone receives almost vertical rays of the Sun?
Answer: Tropical Zone - Which temperature zone receives slanting rays?
Answer: Polar Zone - Which line of longitude is used to fix the world standard time?
Answer: Prime Meridian – 0° - How can the position of a place be fixed on a map?
Answer: With the help of latitude and longitude of a place - What is meant by ‘parallels of latitude’?
Answer: Lines of latitude - What do you mean by meridians?
Answer: Lines of Longitude - What is a small circle?
Answer: A circle which does not bisect the Earth into two equal halves - What is the relation between Temperature and Latitude of a place?
Answer: The temperature decreases with latitude - What is latitude of North Pole and South pole?
Answer: 90° N and 90° S - What name is given to 23 ½° North latitude?
Answer: Tropic of Cancer - What name is given to 23 ½° South latitude?
Answer: Tropic of Capricorn - What is latitudinal value of Arctic circle and Antarctic circle?
Answer: 66 ½° N and 66 ½° S - Where is the equator situated?
Answer: In the middle of the Earth (Between North Pole and South Pole) - What is a grid (Earth Grid)?
Answer: It is a network of parallel and meridians on a globe. It is also called geographic grid - Why are the letters N or S added to latitude values?
Answer: The latitudes in Northern hemisphere are marked N while the latitudes in Southern hemisphere are marked S - What is the importance of Tropic of Cancer?
Answer: It marks the Northern Limit of Tropical Zone - What is the importance of Tropic of Capricorn?
Answer: It marks the Southern Limit of tropical zone - Name the two reference lines with respect to which the distances of various places on the Earth’s surface are measured?
Answer: Prime Meridian and Equator - How is the latitude of a place found?
Answer: With the help of Pole Star - What are the limits of the tropical zone?
Answer: 23 ½° N and 23 ½° S - What is the North Temperate Zone?
Answer: The Zone between 23 ½° N – 66 ½° N - What is the South Temperate Zone?
Answer: The Zone between 23 ½° S – 66 ½° S - By how many lines is the equator intersected?
Answer: 359 - Why are letters E or W added to longitude values?
Answer: The longitudes in the Eastern hemisphere are marked E while the longitudes in the Western hemisphere are marked W - What are poles on the Earth?
Answer: The Pole pointing towards Pole Star is called North pole while the opposite pole is called South Pole
Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)
- What do you mean by latitude?
Latitude is the angular distance of a place North or South of the plane of equator. - What do you mean by longitude?
Longitude is the angular distance of a place East or West of the Prime Meridian. - What is Graticule?
The network of parallels and meridians is called graticule. - What is Equator?
Equator is an imaginary circle bisecting the Earth into two equal halves. - Define ‘Latitude’ and ‘Longitude’ of a place.
Latitude is the angular distance of a place North or South of the equator. Longitude is angular distance of a place East or West of Prime Meridian. - What are the uses of lines of latitude?
We can find out the average temperature of a place with the help of latitude. We can find out the distance of a place from the equator (1° latitude = 111 km). We can determine the location of a place. - What is the main function of longitude in Mathematical Geography?
Longitude’s main function is to determine local time of a place in relation to Greenwich mean time or world time. It is useful in determining the location of a place on the Earth. - (a) What do you mean by ‘Grid’? (b) Which lines form the grid? (c) What is the use of this grid?
The lines of latitude and the lines of longitude intersect to form a geographic Grid System. This grid is located on a globe. It helps to find the exact location of places on Earth. - What is meant by ‘Graticule’ or ‘Earth Grid’?
Lines of longitude and lines of latitude are drawn to determine the location of a place on the Earth. This complete network of parallels and meridians is called ‘graticule’ or ‘Earth Grid’. The term Grid is used for a network of crossing lines. - How will you find the latitude of a place with the help of Pole Star?
Pole Star always points towards the North Pole. The altitude of the Pole Star is same as the latitude of a place in the northern hemisphere. - How will you determine the latitude of a place with the help of the Sun?
The latitude of a place can be determined by measuring the altitude of the Sun at mid-day. The mid-day altitude of the Sun is subtracted from 90°. It gives Zenith distance (i.e., the angle of the Sun with the Zenith of a place). The latitude of a place can be determined with the rule: Latitude = Zenith distance ± Declination of the Sun.
Long Answer Questions (5 Marks)
Mention the properties of parallels of latitude:
- Latitude is the angular distance of a place north or south of equator.
- The maximum value of latitude is 90°.
- The total number of latitudes including equator is 179 (89 + 1 + 89).
- Parallels are always parallel to one another.
- Parallels except the poles are circular lines but vary in size.
- As latitude increases, the circumference of the parallel decreases.
- Parallels run east-west.
- The distance between two consecutive parallels is approximately 111 km.
- All parallels except the poles intersect meridians at right angles.
- Places lying on the same parallel receive almost the same heat but local time may differ.
What are the importance or uses of parallels of latitude?
- Parallels help estimate climate based on location.
- They help find exact position on Earth along with longitude lines.
- They can be used to understand distance from the equator and map scale.
What are the properties of meridians?
- Longitude is the angular distance east or west of Prime Meridian.
- There are 360 meridians of longitude.
- Meridians are not parallel; they converge at poles.
- They are semicircles of equal length.
- Distance between meridians decreases from equator to poles.
- All meridians run north-south.
- Places on the same meridian experience sunrise, noon, and sunset simultaneously.
- Meridians cut the equator at right angles.
Distinguish between Parallels of Latitude and Meridians of Longitude:
| Points of Difference | Parallels of Latitude | Meridians of Longitude |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | East-West direction | North-South direction |
| Extent | Extended East-West | Extended North-South |
| Types | Parallel to each other | Not parallel |
| Highest Value | 90° | 180° |
| Total Number | 179 (89 per hemisphere + equator) | 360 |
| Length | Decreases from equator to poles | Uniform |
| Climate | Related to climatic belts | Related to local time |
| Angle in Circle | 360° | 180° |
Distinguish between Great Circle and Small Circle:
| Great Circle | Small Circle |
|---|---|
| A circle bisecting Earth into two equal hemispheres | Does not bisect Earth into equal hemispheres |
| Passes through Earth's center | Does not pass through Earth's center |
| Circumference is 2πR | Circumference less than 2πR |
| Equator and all meridians are great circles | All parallels except equator are small circles |
| Ships follow great circle for shortest distance | Ships do not follow small circle routes |
Distinguish between latitude and longitude of a place:
| Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|
| Angular distance North or South of Equator | Angular distance East or West of Prime Meridian |
| Increases from 0° to 90° N/S | Increases from 0° to 180° E/W |
Distinguish between Equator and Prime Meridian:
| Equator | Prime Meridian |
|---|---|
| Circle dividing Earth into Northern and Southern hemispheres | Semicircle joining North and South poles |
| 0° latitude | 0° longitude |
| Passes through Earth's center | Passes through Greenwich, London |
| Divides Earth into Northern and Southern hemispheres | Divides Earth into Eastern and Western hemispheres |
Distinguish between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn:
| Tropic of Cancer | Tropic of Capricorn |
|---|---|
| 23 ½° N Latitude | 23 ½° S Latitude |
| Located in Northern Hemisphere | Located in Southern Hemisphere |
| Sun shines vertical on 21st June | Sun shines vertical on 22nd December |
| Northern limit of tropical region | Southern limit of tropical region |
Distinguish between Arctic circle and Antarctic circle:
| Arctic Circle | Antarctic Circle |
|---|---|
| 66 ½° N parallel | 66 ½° S parallel |
| North Polar region beyond this line | South Polar region beyond this line |
| Day length > 24 hours in summer | Night length > 24 hours in winter |
| Arctic Ocean lies north of it | Antarctica lies south of it |
Identify the Correct Answers (1 Mark each)
- Lines of latitude are: (a) circles of varying radii
- The zone between 23 ½° N and 23 ½° S is called: (b) Torrid zone
- The Tropic of Cancer refers to the line of latitude: (c) 23 ½° N
- Latitude of a point is the angular distance measured from: (b) Equator
- Lines of latitudes are: (b) parallel to one another
- The end points on Earth’s surface are called: (c) poles
- Meridians are lines: (a) which converge at the two poles
- The parallels of latitude are: (b) circular
- The parallel which is called the ‘Great Circle’: (b) 0° circle
- The Arctic Circle is: (b) 66° 30’ N
Fill in the Blanks (1 Mark each)
- The Equator divides the earth into Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.
- The distance between any two parallels of latitude is always Equal.
- The Prime meridian is also known as Zero Meridian.
- The word ‘Meridian’ is derived from Latin word Meridianus meaning Mid-day.
- The parallel 23 ½ degree south is called the Tropic of Capricorn.
- The parallel 23 ½ degree north is called the Arctic Circle.
True or False (1 Mark each)
- The highest possible latitude is 360°. (False)
- The equator divides the Earth into two equal halves. (True)
- The Antarctic circle is the line of longitude as 66 ½°N. (False)
- The Tropic of Capricorn lies in the Northern Hemisphere. (False)
- The Prime Meridian is the reference line for locating places in an east-west direction. (True)
- Latitude lines are of equal length. (False)
- Longitude lines are also called meridians. (True)
- Latitude of a place alone gives us complete idea about the location on Earth's surface. (False)
- All meridians run in an east-west direction. (False)
- The Earth axis makes 40° angle with the equatorial plane. (False)
- The latitudes are semi-circles. (False)
- All meridians are of equal length. (True)
- There are two Frigid Zones on Earth. (True)
- Temperature increases as we go away from equator. (False)
- The Torrid Zone lies between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. (True)
Notes: Location of a Place on the Earth’s Surface
Latitude and Longitude: Lines of latitude (parallels) and longitude (meridians) intersect each other to form a grid that helps determine the location of a place on Earth.
Lines of Latitude: These are circles parallel to the Equator. Important parallels include Equator (0°), Tropic of Cancer (23 ½°N), Tropic of Capricorn (23 ½°S), Arctic Circle (66 ½°N), and Antarctic Circle (66 ½°S).
Lines of Longitude: These run from pole to pole and are called meridians. The 0° longitude line is called the Prime Meridian.
Time: Local time refers to time at a meridian. Indian Standard Time is based on the 82 ½° E meridian near Allahabad. Greenwich Mean Time is based on the Prime Meridian (0°) near London.
International Date Line: An imaginary line roughly along the 180° meridian. Crossing this line results in gaining or losing a day.
Earth's Axis and Poles: Earth rotates on an axis inclined at an angle of 66 ½°. The two ends of the axis are called poles—the North Pole points towards the Pole Star and the opposite end is the South Pole.
Hemispheres: The Equator divides Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Parallels of Latitude: Circles parallel to the Equator, decreasing in size towards the poles. All parallels except equator are small circles.
Meridians of Longitude: Semicircles connecting poles, converging at poles, equal in length, important for calculating time.
Great Circle: Largest circle on Earth dividing it into two equal halves (e.g., Equator and all meridians).
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