Hemispheres The globe is divided by convention into four half spheres, using the Greenwich meridian or the Equator as a reference point. A hemisphere is one half of a sphere, so any sphere can be divided equally in two by a plane through its center. The geographical hemispheres of Earth are the cartological divisions of its surface.
The division of Earth by the Equator and prime meridian
In geography and cartography, the hemispheres of Earth refer to any division of the globe into two hemispheres (from Ancient Greekἡμισφαίριονhēmisphairion, meaning 'half of a sphere').
The most common such divisions are by latitudinal or longitudinal markers[1]:
- North–South
- Northern Hemisphere, the half that lies north of the Equator
- Southern Hemisphere, the half that lies south of the Equator
- East–West
- Eastern Hemisphere, the half that lies east of the prime meridian and west of the 180th meridian
- Western Hemisphere, the half that lies west of the prime meridian and east of the 180th meridian
The East–West division can also be seen in a cultural sense, as a division into two cultural hemispheres.
However, other schemes have sought to divide the planet in a way that maximizes the preponderance of one geographic feature or another in each division:
- Land–Water [2]
- Land Hemisphere, the hemisphere on Earth containing the largest possible area of land
- Water Hemisphere, the hemisphere on Earth containing the largest area of water
The Land Hemisphere
The Water Hemisphere
The Land Hemisphere is at the top, and the Water Hemisphere is at the bottom.
The Land Hemisphere is at the top and the Water Hemisphere is at the bottom
Earth may also be split into hemispheres of day and night by the terrestrial terminator.
See also[edit]
- Antarctica
- Arctic Ocean
References[edit]
- ^'Hemisphere'. 2011-03-22.
- ^Boggs, S. W. (1945). 'This Hemisphere'. Journal of Geography. 44 (9): 345–355. doi:10.1080/00221344508986498.
External links[edit]
Media related to Earth's hemispheres at Wikimedia Commons
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hemispheres_of_Earth&oldid=920989328'