Equator
Topic: Latitude, Longitude and Time · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 1 "Locating Places on the Earth"; Class 11, Ch 3 "Latitude, Longitude and Time"
Meaning
The equator is the 0° parallel of latitude. It lies halfway between the North and South Poles. It is the longest parallel. It is also the only parallel that is a great circle, which is a circle whose plane passes through the earth's centre. The equator divides the earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and all latitudes are measured from it.
Example
The equator passes through Ecuador in South America, Kenya in Africa and Indonesia in Asia. India lies wholly north of it. Its southern tip is at about 8°N.
Don't confuse with
- Prime Meridian: this is the 0° line of longitude through Greenwich. It runs from pole to pole and divides the earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.