(CT) Location Lesson

Location Lesson

Have you ever stopped to think how where we live is vital to how we live? Location is a key part of this course! Location affects a society’s economy, culture, and development. Where you are in the world and the resources that surround you impacts your life and the society in which you live. In future modules, we will look at places such as Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Each of these regions has a unique history because of their locations. The path they took to develop their societies today was molded and shaped by their location and the resources available there.

The Basics

Let’s start with the basics of location:

We can learn about the location and physical landforms of a region by examining either a map or a globe.

  • A map is a drawing of the Earth's surface that is flat.
  • A globe is a model of the Earth that is round in appearance.

image of a globe and a map

Absolute Location

Absolute Location: The use of latitude and longitude to locate a spot on a map.

  • Lines of latitude run east and west and are also called parallels. Latitude lines are measured by the distance they are located north and south of the equator.
  • In contrast, lines of longitude run north and south and are also called meridians. Lines of longitude are measured by the distance they are located east and west of the prime meridian located in Greenwich, England.

 images of longitude, latitude, globe of longitude, globe of latitude

Relative Location

Relative Location - where the place is relative to other places.

  • The Earth can be divided into hemispheres. Hemi means half and so when the Earth is divided at the equator into two parts, we call these hemispheres. This imaginary division creates two halves; a northern and southern hemisphere. All regions north of the equator are located in the northern hemisphere, and all regions located south of the equator are located in the southern hemisphere.
  • We can further divide the earth into eastern and western halves, called hemispheres. This imaginary division occurs at the line of longitude known as the Prime Meridian. Every region east of the prime meridian for 180° is part of the eastern hemisphere and every region located west of the prime meridian for 180° is part of the western hemisphere.

image of eastern-western hemispheres and northern-southern hemispheres 

Other terms to know:

  • Place - Description of the features that makes it different from other location
  • Physical – Natural features of the place (temperature, bodies of water, etc.)
  • Cultural – Description of the way of life of the people who live there
  • Region - A group of places bound together by one or more similar characteristics

Locations Challenge

 

Take Away

 

Knowing the location of a place in the world is important and helps us understand its history and development. When we take time in future modules to study different regions, it is important for us to consider how the location in the world has influenced the society and culture that developed there.

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS