To help you further understand physical geography, there are other geographic features for you to use. In this section, you will get the chance to explore those features that will help you improve your skills in middle school and high school social studies courses:

Longitude & Latitude

Longitude and latitude are two geographic coordinates that combine to specify the position of a point on the earth's surface. Longitude indicates the point's east-west position, while latitude shows its north-south location. Each coordinate is measured in degrees.

Lines of longitude, also known as meridians, are imaginary lines that run along the Earth's surface connecting the North Pole to the South Pole. They indicate how far east or west a point is from the Prime Meridian.

Lines of latitude, by contrast, appear to run horizontally around the Earth's surface. They indicate how far north or south a point is from the Equator, which has a latitude of 0°. The North Pole has a latitude of 90° and the South Pole has a latitude of -90°.

Click on the Equator and Prime Meridian to learn more about these important coordinates.

Hemispheres

A hemisphere is any half of the earth. The earth is divided into four major hemispheres: Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western. Click in the boxes below to identify each.

Poles

There are two extreme points on the planet, The North Pole and The South Pole. The poles are where the axis meets the surface of earth as it rotates. The North Pole lies 90 degrees north of the equator, while the South Pole lies 90 degrees south of the equator.