Coordinate Map

When we see a coordinate map we must know how to interpret it since it can give us a lot of information about the places it reflects. This map uses a geographic coordinate system, which is a system that refers to any point on the earth's surface. To do this, it uses two angular coordinates, which is latitude and longitude.

If you want to know how to interpret a coordinate map and how important it is, this is your post.

What is a coordinate map

Coordinate Map

A coordinate map is one that uses a geographic coordinate system with two angular coordinates: latitude, which indicates north, good south, and longitude that does not indicate east or west. If we want to know the lateral angles of the earth's surface with respect to the center of the earth, we just have to align it with its axis of rotation.

To know what a coordinate map is, we must know some basic concepts. The first thing is to know what the parallels are. Ecuador is an imaginary circus that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the earth. Therefore, it is a single circle. Further, it has the main characteristic that it is equidistant from the poles and is the one that divides our planet into two hemispheres. In the northern part we have the northern hemisphere, which consists of a hemisphere that ranges from the Equator to the north pole. On the other hand, we have the southern hemisphere, which is another hemisphere that ranges from the Equator to the south pole. At the south pole is Antarctica.

Both north and south of the Equator there are parallels and they are a succession of smaller circles of the Equator. These circles or imaginary and they get smaller as they get closer to the poles. The distance between each circle is the same, so it is known as parallels.

Particular parallels on a coordinate map

Coordinate map elements

We are going to describe what the particular parallels are on a coordinate map. The main ones we have is the tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn. These two parallels are the ones that mark the northernmost and southernmost points of the Equator. In these places is where the sun's rays fall vertically. That is, they are the highest and highest latitudes that the sun is capable of reaching in its apparent annual movement.

Therefore, we know that the summer solstice is between June 21 and 22. During this day the sun appears to be directly over the tropic of cancer and is completely perpendicular to the earth's surface. On the other hand, in the tropic of Capricorn the rays of the sun are usually perpendicular to the earth's surface during the winter solstice, approximately December 23.

Two other important parallels are the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle. These are the ones that mark the northern and southernmost points of Ecuador where the sun does not get to set on the horizon or directly does not get to rise. It is here that we have full days without night or full nights without a day. From those circles towards the respective poles, the number of days and only increases and then decreases until the point at which the poles follow one another 6 months of darkness and another 6 months of light. Polar circles are the same distance from the poles as the tropics of the Equator.

Meridians on a coordinate map

Other important aspects of a coordinate map are the meridians. The meridians are the semicircles that pass from the poles and are perpendicular to the Equator. Let's not forget that all these elements of a coordinate map are imaginary. They are only used to establish the coordinates at a point. Each meridian is made up of two semicircles, one containing the meridian considered and the other the opposite meridian. The eastern one is located to the east of the considered meridian and the western one is located to the west.

The meridian 0 degrees is the one that passes through the Greenwich Observatory located in London, so it is known by the name of the Greenwich meridian. This meridian is the one that divides the earth into two hemispheres: the eastern or eastern hemisphere that is located east of said meridian and the western or eastern hemisphere that is located west of it.

Latitude and longitude

These two elements are very important in the coordinate map. Any place on the earth's surface can be referenced for the intersection of a parallel and a meridian. This is where the latitude and longitude coordinates emerge. Latitude is what provides the location of a place either north or south from the Equator. It is expressed in angular measurements that range from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. It is referred to as degrees north and degrees south. If we treat a line that goes from a point to the center of a sphere, the angle that this line makes with the equatorial plan will be the latitude of that point.

The degrees of latitude are usually spaced evenly. However, due to the slight flattening that the planet has in the area of ​​the poles, it causes a degree of latitude to vary.

On the other hand we have the length. Longitude is the one that provides the location of a place between the east or west direction from the reference meridian known as the Greenwich meridian. It is expressed from the values ​​of 0 degrees to 180 degrees, referring to whether it is east or west. While the degree of latitude corresponds to a distance that is almost identical, the same does not happen with the degree of longitude. This is because the circles on which we measure this distance converge towards the poles. In Ecuador there is a degree of longitude that is equivalent to a distance of 11132 kilometers and It is the result of dividing the circumference of the Equator by the 360 ​​degrees that the circumference of the earth has.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about how a coordinate map is interpreted.


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