What's the longest distance you've ever traveled? Perhaps it's just to the other side of town, or maybe you've gone on vacation across the country. If you wanted to see the entire world, you'd have to go a lot farther and it would certainly help to understand some parts of a map. So, let's get going!
The most obvious features on our world map are the seven giant land masses called continents, which are surrounded by bodies of water called oceans. The equator, an imaginary line that runs through the middle of the earth, divides our massive world into two hemispheres, or halves: the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
Two other geographical features that you may have heard are the North Pole and the South Pole. The North Pole, the northernmost part of the world, is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean and is the home of Santa Claus! The South Pole, the southernmost part of the world, is located on the continent of Antarctica.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed.
Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons.
Try it now
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Alright! Now that you understand some features that are found on a map, let's look at a couple of tools that can help you to find places on a map. All maps will contain a compass rose which provides the directions - north, south, east, and west - on the map. Maps and globes also contain lines that run from east to west, called latitude lines, and lines that run from north to south, called longitude lines, that provide coordinates, or points, that help locate specific places.
Let's use all of the information we just learned and take a mini world tour!
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Let's start at Asia, the largest continent. It's in the Northern Hemisphere and, by using the compass rose, you can see that it is also in the eastern part of the world.
Leaving Asia and moving west, we find Europe, also located in the Northern Hemisphere. Leaving Europe and using the compass rose to move south, you'll find Africa. Because the Equator runs through it, Africa is in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and is the hottest continent in the world.
To the southeast of both Africa and Asia, in the Southern Hemisphere is Australia, which is a continent, a country and also an island because it is surrounded by water: the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Indian Ocean to the west.
Antarctica is also located in the Southern Hemisphere. It's the coldest continent because it's at the South Pole, where less sunlight reaches the ground.
The last two continents are on the western side of the word, with a thin strip of land connecting them. North America is located in the Northern Hemisphere, while South America, like Africa, is divided by the Equator, with parts in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Now let's take a look at the oceans, which cover about 70% of the Earth! The largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean, which is so big that all the continents can fit in it. The Atlantic Ocean is usually found right in the middle of a map, between North and South America and Europe and Africa. The Indian Ocean is located between Asia, Africa, and Australia. Almost all of the Indian Ocean is in the Southern Hemisphere. Finally, the Arctic Ocean is at the very top of the map, at the North Pole.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Let's review what we'e learned. World maps provide a big picture of the surface of the earth and have tools that help locate specific things, like continents, oceans, and even places like the North and South Poles. Continents are surrounded by bodies of water called oceans, and those oceans cover about 70% of the earth. All maps contain a compass rose that provides the directions north, south, east, and west on the map and also helps you move around the map to quickly find all the features, like the equator and the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Already a member? Log In
Back
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
