LATITUDES AND MERIDIANS
Almost everyone is familiar with the "mysterious lines" on maps and globes that represent latitude (parallels) and longitude (meridians). They form a grid system of coordinates by which any place on Earth can be precisely located - and there is nothing mysterious or difficult about it. Latitude and longitude are coordinates that determine the position of points on the Earth's surface.
Two places on Earth are determined by its rotation around its own axis - the North and South Poles. On globes, the axis is the rod. The North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, which is covered sea ice, and explorers in the old days reached this pole on a sleigh with dogs (it is officially believed that the North Pole was discovered in 1909 by the American Robert Peri).
However, since the ice moves slowly, the North Pole is not an actual but a mathematical object. The South Pole, on the other side of the planet, has a permanent physical location on the continent of Antarctica, which was also discovered by land explorers (a Norwegian expedition led by Roald Amundsen in 1911). Today both poles can be easily reached by plane.
Halfway between the poles at the “waist” of the Earth there is a large circle, which is represented on the globe as a seam: the junction of the northern and southern hemispheres; This circle is called the equator. It is a circle of latitude with a value of zero (0°).
Parallel to the equator, above and below it, there are other circles - these are other latitudes of the Earth. Each latitude has a numerical value, and the scale of these values is measured not in kilometers, but in degrees north and south from the equator to the poles. The poles have the following values: North +90°, and South -90°.
Latitudes located above the equator are called northern latitude, and below the equator - southern latitude. Lines of latitude are sometimes called parallels because they run parallel to the Equator. If parallels are measured in kilometers, then the lengths of different parallels will be different - they increase when approaching the equator and decrease towards the poles.
All points of the same parallel have the same latitude, but different longitude (longitude is described below). The distance between two parallels that differ by 1° is 111.11 km. On the globe, as well as on many maps, the distance (interval) from latitude to another latitude is usually 15° (this is approximately 1,666 km). In Figure 1, the interval is 10° (this is approximately 1,111 km). The equator is the longest parallel, its length is 40,075.7 km.
|
NEW ON THE SITE:" |
However, in order to accurately determine any place on the globe, it is not enough to know its position relative to north and south; you also need to know the value relative to west and east. Lines of longitude are used for this. Since there are neither western nor eastern poles, it was decided that the line of zero longitude passes through the Greenwich Laboratory, located in England on the eastern outskirts of London.
Lines of longitude are called meridians (Figure No. 2). They all run perpendicular to the equator and intersect each other at two points at the North and South Poles. To the east of the prime meridian there is an area of eastern longitudes, to the west - western longitudes. Eastern longitudes are considered to be positive, western longitudes are considered negative.
The meridian passing through Greenwich is called the prime meridian (or sometimes the Greenwich meridian). Longitude is measured in degrees. The meeting of eastern and western lines of longitude occurs at Pacific Ocean on the date line. All lines of longitude intersect at the poles, and at these places there is no longitude. One degree of longitude does not mean any fixed distance: at the equator, a longitude difference of 1 degree is equal to 111.11 km, and closer to the poles it approaches zero.
The lengths of all meridians from pole to pole are equal - 20,003.93 km. All points on the same meridian have the same longitude but different latitude. On a globe, as well as on many maps, the distance (interval) from a longitude to another longitude is usually 15°.
>> Degree network, its elements. Geographical coordinates
§ 3. Degree network, its elements. Geographical coordinates
Navigate by map and find the exact location geographical objects on the surface of the Earth allows degree network, or a system of lines of parallels and meridians.
Parallels(from the Greek parallelos - letters, walking next to) - these are lines conventionally drawn on the surface of the Earth parallel to the equator. Parallels on the map and globe You can carry out as many as you like, but usually on training maps they are carried out at intervals of 10-20°. The parallels are always oriented from west to east. The circumference of the parallels decreases from the equator to the poles.
Equator(from Latin aequator - equalizer) - an imaginary line on the earth's surface, obtained by mentally dissecting the globe with a plane passing through the center of the Earth perpendicular to its axis of rotation. All points on the equator are equidistant from the poles. The equator divides the globe into two hemispheres - Northern and Southern.
Meridian(from lat. meridians - midday) - shortest line, conventionally drawn from the surface of the Earth from one pole to the other.
table 2
Comparative characteristics meridians and parallels
Geographic poles(from Latin polus - axis) - mathematically calculated points of intersection of the imaginary axis of rotation of the Earth with the earth's surface. Meridians can be drawn through any points on the earth's surface, and they will all pass through both poles of the earth. The meridians are oriented from north to south, and all have the same length (from pole to pole) - about 20,000 km. Average length of 1° meridian: 20004 km: 180° = 111 km. The direction of the local meridian at any point can be determined at noon by the shadow of any object. In the Northern Hemisphere, the end of the shadow always points north, in the Southern Hemisphere - south.
degree, or cartographic, network serves to determine geographic coordinates points of the earth's surface - longitudes and latitudes - or mapping objects according to their coordinates. All points of a given meridian have the same longitude, and all points of the parallel have the same latitude.
Geographic latitude is the magnitude of the meridian arc in degrees from the equator to given point. Thus, St. Petersburg is located in the Northern Hemisphere, at 60° north latitude (abbreviated as N), the Suez Canal is at 30° north latitude. Define geographic latitude any point on a globe or map is to determine on which parallel it is located. South of the equator, any point will have a southern latitude (abbreviated as S).
Geographic longitude is the magnitude of the parallel arc in degrees from the prime meridian to a given point. The prime, or prime, meridian is chosen arbitrarily and passes through the Greenwich Observatory, located near London. To the east of this meridian, eastern longitude (E) is determined, to the west - western longitude (W) (Fig. 10).
The latitude and longitude of any point on Earth constitute its graphic coordinates. Thus, the geographic coordinates of Moscow are 56° N. and 38° east. d.
Maksakovsky V.P., Petrova N.N., Physical and economical geography peace. - M.: Iris-press, 2010. - 368 pp.: ill.
Lesson content lesson notes supporting frame lesson presentation acceleration methods interactive technologies Practice tasks and exercises self-test workshops, trainings, cases, quests homework discussion questions rhetorical questions from students Illustrations audio, video clips and multimedia photographs, pictures, graphics, tables, diagrams, humor, anecdotes, jokes, comics, parables, sayings, crosswords, quotes Add-ons abstracts articles tricks for the curious cribs textbooks basic and additional dictionary of terms other Improving textbooks and lessonscorrecting errors in the textbook updating a fragment in a textbook, elements of innovation in the lesson, replacing outdated knowledge with new ones Only for teachers perfect lessons calendar plan for the year guidelines discussion programs Integrated LessonsChomolungma is located at 27°59′17″ N. w. 86°55′31″ E d. To answer the question, we first find out what a meridian and a parallel are. The meridian is a line running from the server point to the south and crossing the equator. Therefore, Everest is on the 86th meridian. A parallel is a line that intersects a meridian. This means Chomolungma crosses the 27th parallel.
Correct answer: Everest crosses the 86th meridian and the 27th parallel.
Chomolungma
This is the highest mountain in the world ( 8 76 8 m) - height on the southern part of the mountain. Locatedshein the Himalayas. And the northern oneethe peak is located in China and has a height of 8848 meters.
ANDI wonder how they measure the height of such big mountains. Isn't it a rope being pulled from the bottom of the mountain? To determine the height of the hill there is3 way.
- By usingbarometer. Since the pressure in the air changes with height, you can climb a mountain to determine its height by atmospheric pressure. But this method is not accurate: the pressure also depends on the weather.
- By usingGPS.It is accurate in determining width and longitude, but when measuring height it is mistaken by~100 meters and more.
- The most accurate way is satellite. Using radar, the height of Chomolungma was measured to mm.
The second highest mountain is the Peak of Communism in Eurasia with a height of 7495 meters. The peak of communism is 1353 meters below Mount Chomolungma. She is in place former USSR. Now this is Tajikistan. When this mountain was discovered in 1928 it was called Stalin Peak, and later it was renamed Communism Peak. After Tajikistan gained independence, the mountain was renamed Ismail Somoni Peak.
Pobeda Peak is considered the third highest mountain in the world. Height 7439 meters.It is 1409 meters smaller than Everest and only 56 meters lower than Communism Peak.The mountain is located on the border of two states: Kyrgyzstan and China. The mountain was named so for the joys of victory Soviet Union over Germany in 1945.
It ranks fourth among mountains in height.Aconcagua. This mountain belongs to the Andes in South America. Its height is 6962 meters above sea level. This is 1886 meters below the mountainChomolungma, 533 meters below Communism Peak and 477 meters below Pobeda Peak.
Today our associations associated with travel have changed greatly. “Unlucky Notes”, “Heads and Tails” against the backdrop of the cheapness of All Inclusive compared to the Soviet one did their job. Does anyone remember these days about “parallels, meridians”? Well, at least a song, eh?
Okay, let's remind you. Only cities and countries will not flash by - surprisingly, there are parallels with the meridians right next to us :)
Have you guessed what we'll be talking about yet? ;)
Then let's start from afar.
When I was a child, I had a globe on my desk. How can you read Jules Verne without a globe?!
And now you can’t even raise your hand to buy this invention - it’s a luxury item. And it’s kind of irrelevant in the age of Google Maps and YandexSputnik.
But I'm not talking about the globe. The journey in search of Captain Grant made the imaginary lines on the globe real, almost tangible. Man's predilection for imaginary lines is understandable, because they symbolize the elusive secret of Existence. Again, pirate maps, treasures and adventures. All thirty-three pleasures. Just the silhouette of a steering wheel or the ringing of a ship's bell already triggers the imagination and makes our hearts beat! This is not a booking with a choice between BB, HB and AI.
But the Caribbean Sea is too far away, pirates are too long ago, and all this, connected together by the film business, turns into fantasy, killing the very real romance of distant travels. And if you are asked on what parallel Cheboksary stands, some will be surprised: “What, do we really have parallels?”
And when they find out that the 56th parallel runs a little further south, they will say in disappointment: “Ah, well, that’s what I thought, where are we going to go…”.
Well, here it is, the 56th parallel, look here. Exactly 56° northern latitude (we are accustomed to whole values, but nature doesn’t care about them, nor do city planners!):
Panorama from point DCP 56°N 47°E (click to view full size)
There are people for whom the awl still works, and even too much - and they invent “home” parallels with meridians (known to some as the Hartmann grid), which pass every two meters, and even teach how to position the bed correctly so that do not hit the knots. To find these lines and nodes, you need a psychic. But it’s not scary, even I can do it, and even without a frame :). And everyone can do it if they try.
There’s just one problem: the distance between lines is usually taken to be the same everywhere. I have never heard that the Hartman grid in Murmansk was different from the grid, for example, in Odessa! ;) Apparently, psychics, even certified ones, do not always remember the peculiarities of the geometry of the sphere. Meanwhile, you can stretch a square grid of figs onto the globe!
But let’s leave the glitches of psychics aside and return to geography.
It’s simpler with the equator and all meridians: one degree when moving along them is the same everywhere and is approximately 40,000/360 = 111 km. And one minute of arc, accordingly, is 60 times less: 1.852 km.
By the way, who knows what this number is? My friends, this is a nautical mile! Have you heard about this unit of distance?
So, everything is clear with latitude. To get one degree north or south, you need to travel 111 km.
How far is it from one meridian to another? At the equator - the same 111 km. And at the pole, obviously, zero! Because all the meridians converge there. And you can make a “round-the-world trip” around the pole, while crossing all time zones in a few steps!
At our latitude, from one meridian to another is only 62-odd kilometers.
Therefore, the mysterious intersection points of parallels and meridians are not so far from us.
And these nodes are called beautifully: confluent points.
There is an immediate desire to find them and visit them. Why, you ask? Well, you're not original. Vysotsky already managed to ask you before:
I asked you: “Why are you going up the mountain?”
And you went to the top, and you were eager to fight. -
After all, Elbrus can be seen great from an airplane..."
You laughed and took it with you.
Let's go too. By will strange people, ready to travel along virtual lines and their intersections, and was born international project Degree Confluence Project:
I have already written briefly about those points that are located on the territory of Chuvashia (there are only three of them), in.
I visited one of them as soon as I purchased a communicator with GPS. This point closest to us with coordinates 57°N 47°E is located near the village of Ishley, on the other bank from the village of Khachiki. You can drive close to the point by car both through Ishlei and Khachiki:
The panorama from the point is shown above, and a visit to the point is described on the DCP website.
We see that there are still many white spots on the territory of Russia (points not visited by DCP users). This does not mean that no one has ever been there, it just means that no one, even if they knew the coordinates, bothered to talk about it on the DCP project :)
Surprisingly, the lion's share points in the European part of Russia were “discovered” by the same traveler - Vladimir Chernorutsky. Today he has 131 visited points in 5 countries!
But it must be said that the points can be in the most remote and inaccessible places- taiga, swamps, or even in the middle of a lake or river. In the latter case, enthusiasts specifically take with them inflatable boat and are selected in Right place already on the water! The nearest water point is on the Volga near Zvenigovo:
While searching for my first confluence point, I knew nothing about the Degree Confluence Project, and I conveniently forgot the article I read about it on Habré. But after visiting I remembered and easily found the corresponding site. It turned out that at this point I was only the third visitor.
But, to my great surprise, on the map of Russia I discovered a still undiscovered point N57° E47° in Kirov region, just 180 km from my home! Well, seven miles is not a detour, as they say.
Just like , I was extremely lucky. I managed to become the pioneer of the point, ahead of my competitor by literally three days!
It took me a long time to get ready and I was almost late. I chose a relatively free day and drove along the route Cheboksary - Yoshkar-Ola - Sanchursk and another 16 km, through the village with beautiful name Smetanino (almost like visiting Uncle Fedor and Matroskin;)). Unfortunately, the last 35 km of the route (before and after Sanchursk) turned out to be a real off-road rally, suitable only for 4x4 enthusiasts, since all that was left of the road here were memories and asphalt pits. This part of the journey took almost two hours! Fortunately, the road there has now been repaired, so you can drive without fear:
We had to leave the car at the nearest point on the road and walk about two kilometers through a swampy, abandoned field to a forest visible on the horizon, where the intersection point is located:
The point itself is located in the forest, fortunately, not very far:
Don't forget your mosquito gear if you want to visit this place in summer! I was never able to shoot the planned panorama; his hands and face were black under a layer of mosquitoes and horse flies. And here's the point. In the photo at the beginning of the post you can see a mosquito crawling into the lens, and a communicator splashed with fresh blood. So it goes! But we got there:
Like these ones geographical travel, these are the discoveries. It would seem that what’s interesting? Taiga, horse flies - romance! :)
There are no more undiscovered points left nearby, except in the wilds of the Kirov region and no closer than 300-400 km.
But it is not necessary to go into the taiga, far away.
It would be possible to organize tourism to nearby points, is that not a reason? It's time to revive the romance!
By the way, one of my colleagues from Togliatti, even before the era of GPS, carefully studied maps and found out that the middle of the Volga is located near Cheboksary!
Hey, city officials! Instead of building pretentious monuments with outstretched arms and marking the “zero mile” for tourists on Red Square, it would be better to mark the middle of the Volga. Otherwise you tell where you are from, and you have to clarify that Cheboksary is not where chebureks and Cheburashka are, but between Gorky and Kazan. But now we can proudly declare: exactly in the center of the Volga!
Big and small trips(cm.