Year 7 - Geography
Latitude and longitude
Geography: what makes a geographer?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
Pupils will use atlases, maps and globes to develop their locational knowledge of the world. Pupils will focus in on specific places to develop an awareness of how geographers examine place. OS maps and GIS will be used alongside fieldwork to build pupils' procedural knowledge.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use latitude and longitude to locate places around the world.
Key Notes
- Lines of latitude are horizontal circles on Earth, measured in degrees north or south of the Equator.
- Lines of longitude are vertical circles on Earth, measured in degrees east or west of the Greenwich Meridian.
- We can use coordinates to locate places around the world.
- GPS uses coordinates in communication and transport systems to help society function.
Vocabulary To Learn
- hemisphere: one half of Earth, usually divided into the Northern or Southern Hemisphere by the Equator, or Eastern and Western Hemispheres by a line that runs through the Poles.
- Prime Meridian: the line of longitude at 0 degrees, from which the other lines of longitude are measured east and west.
- Equator: an imaginary line encircling Earth at 0° latitude and is an equal distance from the North Pole and the South Pole.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Latitude lines run vertically down the Earth.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
Lines of latitude are horizontal circles on Earth, measured in degrees north or south of the Equator. Lines of longitude are vertical circles on Earth, measured in degrees east or west of the Greenwich Meridian.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'hemisphere'
one half of Earth, usually divided into the Northern or Southern Hemisphere by the Equator, or Eastern and Western Hemispheres by a line that runs through the Poles.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: Latitude lines run vertically down the Earth. Correction: Latitude lines run horizontally while longitude lines run vertically.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Different map projections Study Guide
- Features of an OS map Study Guide
- Fieldwork: Analysing, concluding and evaluating survey data Study Guide
- Fieldwork: Planning and collecting survey data Study Guide
- Fieldwork: Presenting survey data Study Guide
- Four and Six Figure Grid References Study Guide
- Geography in secondary school Study Guide
- Locational knowledge of the world Study Guide
- Scale and distance on OS maps Study Guide
- Showing height and relief on OS maps Study Guide
- Using a GIS to locate and analyse places around the world Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 7 Geography guide library.