Lesson 1: Position of the equator, North and South Poles on a globe

Lesson 1 Position of the equator, North and South Poles on a globe

Define

Equator: an imaginary line on the globe that divides the earth in half, dividing the northern and southern hemispheres Hemisphere: Half of the world which has been divided by the equator. Generally, the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere.

People used to believe that the earth was flat, like image 1.1, and if you sailed too far, you would fall off the edge.

However, we know now that the earth is round, like a beach ball, with no edges. The equator is an imaginary line which divides the earth into two equal parts. The top part is the northern hemisphere and the bottom part the southern hemisphere. South Africa lies south of the equator and is therefore in the southern hemisphere.

Image 1.1: A depiction of a flat earth