GEOGRAPHY

STD.9

LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

1. What is the Earth Grid?

A. The complete network of meridians & parallels is called the earth Grid.
2. What is Latitude?
A. The latitude of a place is the distance of that place north or south of the Equator
measured as an angle whose apex is at the centre of the Earth.
3. Why are latitudes also called parallels?
A. Latitudes are also called parallels because they are equidistant from one another.
4. Name the 5 important latitudes.
A. The five important latitudes are:-
 The Equator 0°
 The Tropic of Cancer 23½°N
 The Tropic of Capricorn 23½°S
 The Arctic Circle 66½°N
 The Arctic Circle 66½°S
5. State the properties of the Lines of Latitude.
 They are angular distances north or south of the Equator.
 They are parallel to each other.
 They are circles that gradually get smaller until they are a point at the poles.
 The distance between 1° of latitude & another is 111km.
 There are 90° N/S latitudes.
6. Give reasons why the distance between the successive lines of latitude remains
constant.
A. The distance between two successive lines of latitude remain constant (111km)
because latitudes are parallel to each other.
7. What determines the position of the 5 important latitudes?
A. The latitudes are the angular distance of a place north or south of the equator.

1. The equator is the centre of the Earth 0° the area where the sun shines directly all
year round.
2. The Tropic of Cancer 23½°N is the highest limit in the Northern hemisphere
which receives the direct rays of the sun on 21st of June.

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 3. The Tropic of Capricorn 23½°S is the highest limit in the Southern hemisphere
which receives the direct rays of the sun on 22nd December.
4. The Arctic Circle 66½°N is the place where the sun never sets on June 21 st&
beyond this place we have six months of days & six months of night.
5. The Antarctic Circle 66½°S is the place where the sun never sets on Dec.22nd&
beyond this place we have six months of day and six months of night.
8. What are the characteristics of –
a) Torrid Zone
b) Temperate Zone
c) Frigid Zone

Torrid Zone 0 – 23

1. Hottest zone
2. Sun is overhead twice in this zone
3. Widest of the 5 zones
4. The length of the day is practically the same throughout the year.
5. Very little difference between summer & winter

Temperate Zone- 23½º - 66½ºN/S

1. Zone of moderate temperature

2. Great difference between summer & winter temperature. Range of temperature is
great.
3. Sun is never overhead. Receives only slanting rays of sun.
4. Length of Day & Night very marked.
5. Most people live in this zone because of cool climate.

Frigid Zone - 66½º - 90ºN/S

1. Coldest Zone because it is impossible for the slanting rays to reach beyond the
66½º N/S
2. It experiences 6 months of day and 6 months of night.
9. What are (a) mid-latitudes (b) low-latitudes (c) high-latitudes?
a) Mid-latitudes are those latitudes between 30º- 60ºN/S
b) Low-latitudes are those latitudes between 0º-30º N/S
c) High latitudes are those latitudes between 60º-90º N/S
10. How do latitudes help us?
A. Latitudes help us to know –
a) Climate of a place
b) Vegetation
c) Animal life
d) Human life
e) Along with longitude we can find out the location of a place

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11. What is the total no. Of parallels of latitude that are drawn?

A. They are 90º+90º+1º = 181º (Latitudes)

12. Which is the most important Latitude? Why?

A. The most important latitude is the 0º or the equator. It is the most important parallel
or latitude because it lies mid-way between the poles and is the base to measure all the
latitudes north or south of the Equator. It also divides the earth into two equal
hemispheres.

13. Which parallel is a Great Circle?

A. The Equator

14. Which is the greater circle of latitude 10ºN or 60ºN? Give a reason for your answer.

A. The 10ºN is a greater circle of latitude because latitudes are parallel to each other and
as we go away from the Equator they get smaller until they are a point at 90ºN/S. 10ºN is
closer to the equator than 60ºN.

15. What are longitudes?

A. The longitude of a place is the distance of a place East or West of the Prime Meridian
which is measured as an angle.

16. What is the reference meridian for measuring meridians of longitude?

A. Prime meridian

17. What is the Meridian of Greenwich also called?

A. The meridian of Greenwich is also called the Prime Meridian. It is 0º.

18. What is the 180º of longitude called?

A. It is called the International Date Line.

19. Explain why the lines of longitude are called the meridians of longitude?
A. The lines of longitude are called meridians of longitude because the word meridian
means midday & all places along the same meridian experiences noon at the same
time.

20. State the properties of longitude.

A. The properties of longitude are-
1. They are semi-circles of equal length.
2. They converge at the poles.
3. The distance between two longitudes is not the same throughout. It is widest
(111KM apart) at the equator and the distance decreases as we go towards the
poles.

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21. The distance between two consecutive parallels of latitude is equal to about 111KM,
but the distance between two consecutive meridians of longitude is equal to 111km.
Only at the equator. Why?
A. The distance between two consecutive parallels of latitude is equal to 111km. Because
they are parallel or equidistant throughout 40,000/360 while the distance between two
consecutive meridians is 111km only at the equator because meridians are broadest at
the equator & they converge at the poles, and hence they decrease.

22. How is longitude related to time?

A. The earth rotates from west to east through the 360º in 24 hrs & so the sun appears to
move from east to west at the rate of 15º in 1hr or 1º in 4 minutes. So places along
the same longitude have the same time in both hemispheres. If a person travels
eastward from Greenwich 15º his time is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich and if he moves
westwards it is one hour behind Greenwich.

23. What is a Great Circle?

A. A Great Circle is any circle that divides the sphere (Earth) into half & it is also the
centre of the earth (SPHERE).

24. Why are all meridians of longitudes Great Circles?

A. All meridians of longitudes are Great Circle because it divides the Earth into half and
they are also the centre of the earth.

25. Why are parallels other than the equator not Great Circles?
A. The Equator is the only parallel that is a Great Circle because it divides the Earth into
two equal halves. All the other parallels or latitudes are smaller circles.

26. What is the advantage of following the Great Circle route in air travel?
A. The Great Circle route is the shortest distance between any two points on the earth’s
surface.

27. Why do the sailors cannot take advantage of this Great Circle route always?
A. Sailors cannot always take the Great Circle route because –
1. It may take them into dangerous water.
2. It may take them through areas where ice is present & this is unsafe for
navigation.

28. Explain how latitudes & longitudes enable us to find location of places on the earth?
A. Latitudes are angular distance of a place north or south of the equator while longitude
is an angular distance of a place east or west of the Prime Meridian. The complete
network of meridians & parallels are called the Earth grid & this is what helps us
determine the location of a place.

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29. Give reasons:-
a) The difference between GMT and Indian Standard Time (IST) is 5½ hours.
A. The longitude of GMT is 0º
The longitude of IST is 82½ºE
For 1 hour = 15º
5 hours = 15 X5=75º
4 minutes = 1º
30 minutes = 30/4 = 7½
= 75+7½ = 82½
OR
1º - 4 minutes
82½º - ?
165/2 X4 = 330/60 = 5½ hours
b) The 0º meridian is known as the Prime meridian.
A. The 0º meridian is known as the Prime Meridian because it is the reference line
for measuring East West distance.

c) The International Date Line is not a straight line coinciding with longitude 180º.
A. The IDL is not a straight line so as to avoid land masses, allowing it to pass only
over the water bodies to avoid confusion in Day & Date. If it were straight, then it
would alter inhabited lands so that it might be 2nd Jan – Monday to one man and
3rd Jan – Tuesday to his next door neighbour.

d) Canada has six Time Zones

USA has 5 Time Zones & Soviet union has 11 Time Zones. Why do some
countries have many time zones?
A. This is because the longitudinal extent is very vast, hence they do not have a
single Standard Time for the whole country. They have many time zones, with
each time zone covering about 15º of longitude, The whole world is divided into
24 Time Zones.
e) LOCAL Time differs from place to place.
A. Local Time at a place is fixed with reference to the path of the sun in the sky.
Local Time differs from place to place because of the variations in longitude. A
longitude variation of 1º causes a time difference of 4 minutes.
30. What is Standard Time?
A. Local Time varies from place to place & hence will cause confusion. Hence a uniform
time throughout the country is adopted. It is based on the central meridian of the
country or the meridian on which the most important city is located. The time on this
meridian becomes the Standard Time for that country.
31. What is the local time difference between the Eastern most end and the Western most
end of India?
A. The difference is 2 hours.

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32. How does Local Time differ from Standard Time? ( Write the definition of Local
Time and Standard Time)
A.

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33. On which meridian is the Indian Standard Time (IST) ? Name an important city
through which it passes?
A. 82½ºE – Allahabad

34. Why the Standard Time is considered necessary?

A. The local time varies from place to place. It will create considerable confusion if each
place is to follow its own local time, and people travelling from one part of the
country will have to adjust their watches according to the local time of that place.

35. What is the International Date Line? Mention two places where the International Date
Line deviates from 180º longitude.
A. The International Date Line is the 180ºE and west line. This longitude is
diametrically opposite to that of the Greenwich Meridian. The International Date
Line is not straight. It zigzags to avoid land masses. It passes only through water
bodies. It marks the place on the earth’s surface where each new date first begins.
The International Date Line curves East of 180º in Bering Strait between Siberia &
Alaska. It avoids the Hawaiian , Fiji, Tonga Islands.

36. Which parallel is a Great Circle?

A. The Equator.

37. What is meant by Greenwich Mean Time?

A. GMT is also known as Universal Time. It is the Time measured from Greenwich
situated on 0º longitude & is used as a standard for reference all over the world.

38. What is meant by Indian Standard Time (IST)?

A, IST is the time that is measured from Allahabad situated on 82½ºE longitude & is used
as a standard for the entire country of India.

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 39. Distinguish between:-

a) Equator and Prime Meridian

Equator Prime meridian

The equator is the reference The Greenwich or Prime

line used for measuring Meridian is the reference
distance to the north & line for measuring Esat-
south. West distances.

It converges on the two

poles.

b) Great Circle & Small Circle

Great Circle Small Circle

1. They divide the 1. The centres of the

earth into two equal small circles are
halves & are also the points other than the
centre of the earth. centre of the earth.
2. The radius of the 2. The small circles
Great Circle is the have a radius which
same as the radius of is smaller than that
the earth. of the earth.

40. Name two countries which have more than one time zone.

A. USA, USSR, Canada, Australia.

41. The lines of longitude are of equal length. What is the reason for it?

A. All lines of longitude are of equal length because every longitude is a Great Circle &
divides the earth into two equal halves & is also the centre of the earth.

42. Give reasons why a person travelling from Mumbai to London alters the time of his
watch at several places?

A. The person alters his watch many times because the East to West or longitudinal extent is
very great. Hence he has to cross many longitudes & time zones. So for every longitude he
crosses there is a time difference of 4 minutes, and for every time zone he crosses, the
difference is one hour. Hence, as he is going to London, he crosses 5½ time zones. So the
difference in time is 5½ hours & he is behind time.

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43. Why does the sun rise at a different time at :-

A (10ºN,15ºE) than at B(10ºN15ºW)? Also denote the position of any other place C at which
the sun rises at the same time as at the place A.

A. The sun rises at ‘A’ first because A is 15ºE while ‘B’ is 15ºW. So A is ahead of time
by 2 hours than B.
Place ‘C’ (15ºN 15ºE) will have the same time as A.

44. What is the total no. Of meridians that are drawn?

A. There are 360º (meridians of longitudes)

45. Distinguish between Latitudes and Longitudes. (The answer is the same as the definition
of Latitude & Longitude).

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