- (Latin, from aequus equal). An imaginary line drawn through the center of the globe and dividing it into two hemispheres: northern and southern; equinoctial. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. EQUATOR... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
equator- a, m. equateur lat. aequator equalizer. 1. An imaginary line passing around the globe at an equal distance from both poles and dividing the globe (or celestial sphere) into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. BAS 1. I am under the equator, under... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language
EQUATOR, the name of special imaginary circles. The earth's equator is located midway between the north and south poles and divides the globe into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; it is the zero line from which the geographical... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary
EQUATOR, equator, male (Latin aequator, lit. equalizer). 1. An imaginary circle dividing the globe or celestial sphere into two different hemispheres, the southern and northern (geographical, astral). Earth's equator. Celestial equator. 2. Every median circle on a ball,... ... Dictionary Ushakova
Active ingredient ›› Amlodipine* + Lisinopril* (Amlodipine* + Lisinopril*) Latin name Ekvator ATX: ›› C09BB ACE inhibitors in combination with calcium channel blockers Pharmacological groups: ACE inhibitors in combinations ›› Blockers... Dictionary of medicines
Buttocks, ass, toilet, meridian, belly, ass, ass Dictionary of Russian synonyms. equator noun, number of synonyms: 9 heat (23) belly ... Synonym dictionary
- (from Late Latin aequator equalizer) (geographical), line of section earth's surface plane passing through the center of the Earth, perpendicular to its axis of rotation. Separates the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Start of counting geographical latitude.… … Modern encyclopedia
- (from Late Lat. aequator leveler) (in geography) a line of section of the earth's surface by a plane passing through the center of the Earth, perpendicular to the axis of its rotation. Divides the globe into North. and Yuzh. hemispheres. Serves as a starting point for calculating geographic latitude.… … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
EQUATOR, a, m. The imaginary line of intersection of the earth's surface with a plane passing through the center of the Earth, perpendicular to earth's axis, dividing the globe into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
M lat. equinox, diary; a circle suspended from the axis of the world and dividing the imaginary firmament and our earth into two equal halves: northern and southern; this is the celestial equinox, and this is the terrestrial equinox, under which days and nights are always equal, and the latitude of the place is zero... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
The celestial great circle of the celestial sphere, the plane of which is perpendicular to the line connecting the poles of the sphere and parallel to the plane of the earthly E. It serves as the main plane for calculating the declinations and right ascensions of luminaries ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
Books
- Equator, Sousa Tavares Miguel, “A classic, ancient novel...” This Pushkin formula, oddly enough, absolutely correlates with the novel “Equator” written in 2003, authored by a little-known person... Category: Contemporary foreign prose Publisher: Rudomino Book Center,
- Equator (ed. 2016), Sousa Tavares Miguel, & 171;Classic, ancient novel...& 187; This Pushkin formula, oddly enough, absolutely correlates with the novel "Equator" written in 2003, which belongs to the authorship of a few of us... Category: Journalism Publisher: Book Center of the All-Russian State Library named after M.I. Rudomino, Manufacturer:
Today, any schoolchild who has not skipped geography classes will be able to answer the question in the title of the article. The length of the equator is just over forty thousand kilometers. But people did not always have this information, so first let’s dive into history.
The earth stands on three pillars...
Even at the very dawn of human civilization, in the Neolithic era, people began to think about the structure of the world around them, the structure of the Earth. In many ways, their ideas were based on mythology, with the help of which attempts were made to explain natural phenomena and the movement of heavenly bodies. Due to the lack of written sources, modern historians cannot say with certainty what Neolithic man thought about the structure of the Earth. However, later, after the invention of signs that made it possible to preserve ancient wisdom, it became possible to create entire scientific treatises. And one of the ancient Indian texts reflected the theory that the flat Earth rests on three giant whales, and the whales swim in the ocean. What the ocean rests on is not stated in the treatise. But what can we say about ancient people, if even today in the USA, as if confirming the words of Mikhail Zadornov, there is a “Society flat earth", whose members defend their point of view, and explain the entire space program as a global conspiracy!
From geocentric...
However, with the development of science, the three pillars ceased to satisfy scientists, and in ancient Greece a theory appeared, according to which the Earth, shaped like a ball, is in the center of the universe, and the Sun, Moon and stars revolve around it. The outstanding astronomer of antiquity, Ptolemy, also adhered to this point of view.
... to the heliocentric theory of the structure of the solar system
Although this theory was a big step forward, it could not explain all the visible changes in the starry sky, so the heliocentric theory was developed in parallel with the geocentric one, but many more years passed until the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was able to prove its validity.
Equator
The adoption of the heliocentric theory made it possible to define the concept of “equator”. This is an imaginary line that runs along the surface of the Earth in a plane passing through its center and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the planet. But if we have sorted out the definition, then the debate about what the length of the equator is still does not subside. To measure this value, without modern instruments, people needed to at least reach this line.
The first sailors
Navigation first appeared in the Mediterranean Sea and was a coastal navigation, that is, along the coast without losing sight of it. However, the Phoenicians soon learned to determine the position of their ship by the stars and were able to break away from the shores. Passing through the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar), they entered the Atlantic Ocean, crossed the equator and circled Africa. One evidence of such voyages is the famous White Lady of Brandberg, a rock cave painting in Namibia. However, reaching the border between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres still did not make it possible to determine the length of the equator.
Age of Discovery
Soon people became so friendly with the sea-ocean that they began to sail further and further from their native shores. Loud discoveries of new lands and sea routes followed: America, a waterway to India, Australia. And finally, Magellan's first trip around the world. This Portuguese navigator was the first to decide to find out how long the equator actually is. And he led an expedition that set itself the task of circumnavigating the globe. But this is all a joke. Ferdinand Magellan actually traveled around the world, but not strictly along the equator, but as the geography of the oceans allowed.
From travelers to scientists
Since it is quite difficult to determine such a quantity as the length of the equator by direct measurement “on the ground,” some scientists decided to find the required number using mathematical calculations. The first to undertake such work was the ancient Greek mathematician Eratosthenes. At the invitation of the Egyptian king Ptolemy III, he moved to Alexandria, where he soon became the keeper of its library. After conducting a series of complex experiments and calculations, he determined that the length of the Earth's equator was 252,000 stadia. Since Eratosthenes lived and worked in Alexandria, he used Egyptian stages. If we convert them into our usual kilometers, then the length of the equator will be 39,690 kilometers, which is quite close to the true value. The error is less than 1 percent; for those times, the accuracy of the calculations was simply amazing.
The length of the Earth at the equator through the eyes of modern scientists
Years and centuries passed. Measuring instruments and techniques were improved. Humanity went into space and was able to create detailed maps earth's surface. Accordingly, the length of the equator was determined more accurately. The line of zero latitude runs along the earth's surface, which has height differences relative to the level of the world's oceans from 10,994 meters (Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench) to 8,848 meters (Mount Chomolungma). And although such sharp changes in heights are not observed directly at the equator, this still makes it very difficult to measure its length. Therefore, for calculations, the average radius of the Earth was adopted, which, according to the geophysical standard WGS-84, is equal to 6378 kilometers 137 meters, which gives the length of the equator 40,075 km.
Is the length of the equator constant?
Now let’s try to answer the question of what is the reason for the discrepancy in the values of the length of the equator between modern scientists and Eratosthenes. Perhaps the whole point is not only the imperfection of measuring instruments? What if the equator simply became longer? Modern scientists adhere to the theory of the structure of the Earth and continental drift based on plate tectonics. However, back in 1968, the Soviet geologist Vladimir Larin put forward the theory of the hydride structure of the Earth's core. He suggested that the substance from which our planet was formed contained a large amount of atomic hydrogen. It reacted with iron and nickel, which make up the Earth's core, resulting in the formation of hydrides of these elements. As a result of internal processes in the bowels of the planet, the core gradually warms up and hydrogen is released. This leads to a decrease in density and, accordingly, to an increase in the size of the Earth. This theory not only more fully explains the “drift” of continents, but also helps explain the formation of mineral deposits, primarily hydrocarbons. So it is quite possible that oil, gas, and coal are of abiogenic origin, and their synthesis in the bowels of the planet continues to occur at the present time. Moreover, confirmation of the work of the Soviet scientist was also found in ancient Zoroastrian myths, where it is said that in order to increase the surface of the Earth, the gods increased its size three times by one third. This theory, among other things, makes it possible to explain the mass extinction in a short period of time of many species of ancient animals, the so-called Triassic massacre. The most interesting thing is that the radius of the planet is still increasing at the present time, by about two centimeters per year. This is confirmed by regular measurements by scientists, but previously these results could not be explained, unless we consider the Earth’s absorption of dust from outer space. So over time the length of the equator will increase.
Hi all! Last Sunday we checked in at another important point of our journey - at the equator. The equator is the zero parallel of the Earth, which divides the planet into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The equator passes through 14 countries in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. But it is the equator in Ecuador that is considered the official middle of the Earth. Why? Because it was here that the equator was actually discovered! Ecuador has a very favorable area for studying the equator, because... in other regions the imaginary line runs through impenetrable jungle, swamps or deserts.
Amazing story
The equator was discovered by a French geodetic expedition in the 18th century. Team leader La Condamine spent 10 years in Ecuador conducting research. He proved that the planet is not round - it is flattened at the poles. Accordingly, the widest part of the Earth is the equator.
Today, the official center of the world is located in the Ecuadorian city of Mitad del Mundo (“Mitad del mundo” - translated from Spanish literally “middle of the world”), 20 km from the capital of Ecuador, Quito. There is a huge entertainment complex here, the main attraction of which is the yellow line of the zero parallel.
Also in the park there is a famous 30-meter tower topped with a globe. On the days of the spring and autumn solstice, the monument does not cast a shadow. Inside the tower there are several floors of museums where you can perform a variety of physical experiments that are only possible at the equator.
In addition to the tower, Mitad del Mundo has other attractions: a planetarium, a church in which newlyweds can get married while in different hemispheres; French Expedition Museum; Ethnographic Museum, Museum of Colonial Quito; arenas with bull and cockfights, a terrace with alpacas, a coffee square. There are photo exhibitions and concerts of national music and dances here, there are restaurants and shops for every taste. About one and a half million tourists come to Mitad del Mundo every year. You can spend the whole day here with interest... If not for one thing!
Swindle industry
The yellow line of the equator, all experiments and all activities (including weddings in different hemispheres) are a complete fake! The real equator, calculated using GPS, is located 240 meters from here! And what’s most interesting is that to get there, you need to leave the territory of the Mitad del Mundo entertainment center and pay for the entrance to the Intiñan Museum. It is on the territory of this museum that the real equator passes. And this is where real, not fake, experiments can be done.
Mitad del mundo is a really good entertainment complex, and everything would be fine, but they carefully hide from tourists that the equator here is not real! We repeatedly asked the staff how to get to the real equator, and we were constantly sent to that very famous tower. It feels like park staff have been trained to answer visitors something like: “What is the real equator? Here's the yellow line. Go take a photo." They all pretended that they didn’t understand us!)))
And only the park cleaner immediately said that to get the real equator we had to go to another museum. Apparently the cleaners do not undergo marketing training))) What’s most interesting is that in the entertainment center with the fake equator of tourists there is simply darkness! There are queues everywhere, hundreds of people take pictures on the yellow line. At the same time, there are few people on the real equator, the territory of the museum is very small, everything is somehow cozy and homely.
We asked the guide why this is? She replied that their museum cannot be covered in the media or advertised in any way. Because then the neighboring giant entertainment center will lose the frantic streams of tourists eager to visit the equator.
What happens at the equator?
The equator is an amazing place that gives birth to interesting phenomena. The equator is 21.3 kilometers farther from the center of the Earth than the poles. And in Ecuador it’s even further, because... here the equator passes through the Andes. The weather is always the same at the equator, although it is officially summer in Ecuador. Dawn here is always at 6 am, and sunset is always at 6 pm.
Arriving at the Intiñan Museum, you can immediately take a tour in English or Spanish. The guide will tell you a lot of interesting things: about some of the peoples of Ecuador (for example, those who always walk naked and tie their penis to their stomach with a rope so that it does not dangle); about the traditions of tribes in the jungle (including mummifying the heads of enemies and wearing them around the neck as an amulet); about totems different countries; national Ecuadorian hats that can kill, and about guinea pigs that detect bad energy and squeak if you are angry. But that’s not about that now. The main part of the excursion is equatorial experiments.
Experiment 1. Egg
At the equator, all objects weigh less. Therefore, it is easier to place a chicken egg on a thin stick here than in any other place. The guide said that despite the simplicity of the procedure, only one out of 10 people can place an egg.
At the end of the excursion, everyone who completed the task receives an “Egg Balancer” certificate. By the way, we both received such a certificate.
Experiment 2. Water
Since the equator is the widest part of the Earth, the planet's rotation speed there is very high. Because of the action centrifugal force The water in the sink at the equator flows into the hole smoothly, without forming a funnel. In the Southern Hemisphere, water swirls clockwise, in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise. You can see this in the video by looking at the leaves. This is the action of the Coriolis force.
Smart people say that this whole experiment is a scam for tourists. In fact, the Coriolis force cannot manifest itself enough for an observer to see it. In this case, the decisive role is played by the side from which water is poured. If on the left, the water will swirl clockwise, if on the right, counterclockwise. Therefore, the demonstration of the experiment begins with draining the water at the equator: the settled water, with the plug carefully removed, will drain without a funnel. We tried to spot some kind of catch in the experiment, but we couldn’t. It seems that water is poured the same way in all cases. Watch the video!
Experiment 3. Walking in a straight line
If you stand on the equator line, close your eyes, extend your arms to the sides and start walking in a straight line, you won’t be able to do this, because... the rotational forces of different hemispheres will pull you in different directions and you will not be able to find balance. Nikita managed to go super smoothly, which means that the whole experiment was self-hypnosis...
Experiment 4: Human Power
It has been proven that at the equator a person weighs less and becomes weaker. Therefore, if, standing on the equator, a person tightly clasps his thumb and index finger, it will be very easy to unclench them, while near the equator this is no longer possible.
It really works! And it blows your mind! I can’t even believe that this is possible!
After all the experiments, sightseeing, visiting the cocoa exhibition and eating the most delicious chocolate, in the museum you can put a stamp in your passport about visiting the equator! Similar seals are also placed in the Northern and South Pole. But we didn’t have our passports with us, and the guide said that Russians never put such a stamp, because... They are afraid of border guards, and generally believe that this is illegal. While most tourists specifically collect various stamps.
How to get there?
The cheapest route from Quito to the equator consists of two buses. First from the historical center to the Ofelia stop. From there to the Mitad del mundo stop. One way fare is 90 cents per person. Travel time is 1.5 hours. If you have trouble, follow the crowd.
What is the price?
A visit to the Mitad del Mundo amusement park with a fake equator costs $3.50. If you want to go to the Equatorial Museum, which is located in the famous tower, then the price for admission to the park and museum is $6. If you also want to visit the Planetarium, then 7.5. The last option is called full pass. We took it because... they thought that the real equator included there, but this is not so. We advise you to take a ticket for 3.5 dollars, walk to the fake but historical equator, take a must-have photo and go to the real equator.
A visit to the Intiñan Museum with a real equator costs $4. This amount already includes the excursion. And even though some of the experiments, as they say, are not entirely authentic, the museum is very cool! Very impressive and interesting! You need to allocate at least two hours for it.
I will tell you about all the other interesting things that I mentioned in this article (especially about the naked tribe) later, in the following posts! Stay in touch!
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Gabon
- Republic of the Congo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Uganda
- Kenya
- Somalia
- Maldives
- Indonesia
- Kiribati
- Ecuador
- Colombia
- Brazil
And I only got 14 countries:
- Sao Tome and Principe - by land;
- Gabon - by land;
- Republic of the Congo - by land;
- Democratic Republic of the Congo - by land;
- Uganda - by land;
- Kenya - by land;
- Somalia - by land;
- Maldives by sea - does not touch land, only by sea;
- Indonesia - by land;
- Kiribati - by land - by economic zone;
- USA, namely Baker Island
- Ecuador - by land;
- Colombia - by land;
- Brazil - by land;
No. The equator passes through 13 countries of the world. Its length is approximately 40 thousand kilometers.
The equator passes through: Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Maldives - maritime zone only, Indonesia,
Kiribati is an exclusive economic zone only,
USA - exclusive economic zone of Baker Island (US Minor Outlying Islands), Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil.
Equator is a conventional line that divides the globe into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Latitude at the equator is 0 and it is from here that the counting of geographic latitudes begins. The equator crosses three continents, such as Africa, Asia and South America. Moreover, it goes through three oceans: Atlantic, Indian and Pacific.
Along the equator there are lucky countries that have the warmest equatorial climate on the planet. Thirteen countries cross the equator: Ecuador and Colombia, Gabon and Congo, Brazil and Uganda, Kenya and Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia, the islands of Sao Tome and Principe, Kiribati and the Maldives. But Europe is the most distant part of the Eurasian continent from the equator.
The equator crosses not 20 countries of the world, but 13, so our answer to the question is No.
There is no correct answer, and according to Wikipedia, the equator passes through 14 countries. And these countries are located on the border of the hemispheres, and the equator accordingly divides these hemispheres into the southern and northern hemispheres.
To accurately answer how many countries the equator line crosses, and in my understanding this line should cross land, you can use a satellite map, which gives the most accurate geographic coordinates.
Let's start with Africa.
The island state of Sao Tome and Principe intersects the equator in the northern part of the island of Rolas
By African continent the line passes through 6 countries (country names are underlined in red)
The Maldives is not suitable as the equator passes between the islands along the Laccadive Sea
The equator crosses Indonesia
Let's go even further to the right across the Pacific Ocean.
And here the equator does not pass through Kiribati, and the two islands - Jarvis and Baker, which informally belong to the United States, are located in different hemispheres.
In South America, the equator passes through three countries
In total, the equator crosses 11 countries by land.
The answer can be obtained by turning to the Internet or opening a Google map and walking along the entire length of the equator yourself. The second path is much more interesting; you can get acquainted with the geography of this latitude and learn about the existence of states that you have never heard of before. On your way you can come across islands, but their political affiliation is not indicated on the map. In any case, the answer will be negative - NO. The number of countries is significantly less than 20.
To answer this task, we need to take a look at the world map and count the number of countries whose territory is crossed by this imaginary line. It turns out that these countries are the only ones 13 , and that’s if you count the US-controlled Baker Islands, but not 20. So The answer here is NO.
It is believed that this conventional line divides our planet into the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere. This line crosses 13 countries, such as: Indonesia, Somalia, Brazil, Maldives, Ecuador, Gabon, Congo, Colombia and others. Therefore the correct answer is: no.
On Level 330 games in Odnoklassniki Yes or no, the correct answer is - NO.
The statement that the equator passes through 20 countries of the world is not true.
The equator passes through 13 countries of the world.
Need to remember.
The number of countries through which the equator passes is not at all difficult to calculate, and this has been done for a long time. There were thirteen of them. Here you can just take a quick glance at the world map and it will be clear that there will be less than 20 such countries. The answer is NO.
Twenty is a lot; the equator doesn’t have that much length. Now, if the countries were very small, then yes, but otherwise - NO, it does not pass through so many states.
There are only thirteen countries on his way.
No. Here is the list:
I learned early what an equator is, even from my first childhood atlases, but it did not arouse any ardent interest in me then.
A little later, when I became interested in the nature of South America, my interest in this issue increased sharply. After all, the equator passes through three South American countries: Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia.
General information about the equator
Officially we can say that: "The equator is the cross-sectional line of the Earth, passing through the center of the Earth, and perpendicular to its axis of rotation."
I’ll just tell you that if our planet is like a watermelon, horizontal and even to cut in half, then on the section there will be an equator that passes through: the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as more than a dozen states in Africa, Asia and the Americas
I wonder what:
- hemispheres are separated from each other equator;
- length of the equator more than forty thousand kilometers;
- equator impossible to touch, in fact it is just a mark on the maps.
Weather and climate
The climate is humid tropical.
It is characterized by:
If at the poles night and day can last almost half a year, then at the equator they always last exactly twelve o'clock.
Nature and ecology
Equatorial belt rich in his tropical forests. It is home to many species of flora and fauna. The diversity of life forms is amazing. Remember the African jungle and the Amazon jungle - how many unusual and stunning animals and plants there are!
Unfortunately, these forests have become the main victims of mass deforestation. Violation of this unique ecosystem leads to the death of many species of flora and fauna. It is absolutely impossible to overestimate the importance of these forests for all of us, because they can rightfully be considered "lungs" of our planet.
And even though most of us live far from the equator, any forests are important for all of us! You should remember this and do everything possible to forests have not disappeared from the face of the earth.
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When I start to remember where I learned about the equator, several associations from fairly early childhood come to mind. But the most striking one is connected with the cartoon about Captain Vrungel. When his yacht crossed the zero parallel, the captain, according to the old maritime custom, organized a holiday for Neptune, which led to some confusion among the ignorant crew members (they decided that Vrungel had overheated in the sun). Probably, then I began to wonder what kind of place this “equator” was.
What is the equator
This is a fictitious line passing exactly between the two poles of the planet and at the same time perpendicular to the axis of rotation. So she divides the Earth into two hemispheres: Northern and Southern.
But, despite its intangibility, the equator can still be seen. This line turns out the closest part of the planet to the Sun, which means the warmest. Therefore, just look at a map of the Earth to see how lush green tropical forests (they are also called equatorial) “outline” a sort of vegetation equator.
Equatorial forests
A kingdom of evergreen trees with beautiful glossy leaves. By the way, gloss is not for beauty. Tropical forests are always very humid, so plants have learned to produce a special wax that covers the leaves with a thin film, it protects them from rotting. Water rolls off these “waxed” beauties like an umbrella.
Nowhere else on the planet will you find trees whose flowers and fruits grow directly on the trunk. This phenomenon even received a special name - caulifloria.
But like any forest on Earth, the tropical forest also has tiers:
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I received a minimum set of knowledge about the equator back in school years in geography lessons. While equator I associated it with the hottest place on the planet, where the sun constantly shines, where exotic fruits grow and amazing animals live.
What is the equator?
Equator - line of the Earth's circumference
It is a circular line passing through the entire globe perpendicular to its axis of rotation, and located at the same distance from the poles.
What is the equator for? Once equator – imaginary line
- , then I immediately had a question: why did scientists need to imagine it? Thanks to the equator , as well as other imaginary lines (meridians, parallels), it is possible to very accurately determine the location of all objects
- , no matter where they are (at sea, on land or even in the air).
- The equatorial line divides the planet into two parts: the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Thanks to the equator, it is easy to navigate the climatic zones. Territories that are located in close proximity to it receive maximum amount sun and warmth
, it’s eternal summer here! As you move away from here to the poles, you can notice a significant reduction in sunlight reaching the Earth's surface; accordingly, with distance from the equator, the climate becomes colder. I live in central Russia, where even in summer it is not always warm and sunny. Therefore, I am very attracted to hot countries located in the equatorial region.
Equator What is the length of the equator can be called. longest parallel Its length was first calculated in Ancient Greece. It was the scientist Eratosthenes. He was watching sun rays , penetrating into a deep well. By measuring the time it took for the rays to reach the bottom, he was able to determine the size of the radius of our planet, and then equator length . Such an approximate calculation gave a very accurate result - 40075 km.
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This Earth parameter is one of the key metric characteristics that is actively used in geodesy, astronomy and astrology. One of my favorite topics in geography class at school was calculation.. In order to find the exact coordinates of the points, I looked for the equator and the prime meridian. It was around then that I started thinking about how people live on the equator, because the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are radically different from each other. If it is summer in the north of the equator, then in the south it is winter at the same time. Of course, this only happens in theory, but in real life the climate at the equator does not change at all.
What is the equator
When I hear the word equator, then I immediately imagine geographical map with a clear straight line in the middle. In practice, this is absolutely not the case, because equator- only conditional lineI, which divides the Earth into two equal parts. From Latin "aequator" stands for "to equalize". Scientists call the equator a conventional line, which passes through the center of the Earth parallel to its axis of rotation. Thanks to mathematical calculations, it was found that length equatorA amounts to 40,075, 676 km.
Where is the equator?
The equator line is the beginning latitude reference. She goes through things like that big countries:
A little history
Even the ancient Egyptians sailed along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Phoenicians the first went beyond its borders through the Pillars of Hercules (as the Strait of Gibraltar was called) into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They dguessed about the existence of the equator, but also couldn't calculate its length. Phoenicians crossed the equator line and sailed almost to the southern part of Africa. A cave painting has been preserved to this day in Namibia. "White Lady of Brandberg"» .
Age of Discovery
After Columbus discovered America, large-scale voyages of Europeans across the World Ocean began. Sea routes to India and Australia were opened. F. Magellan was the first to sail around the globe. During your journey Magellan was unable to sail strictly along the equatoRU. The geography of the oceans did not allow this. During the first trip around the world already the existence of the equator was proven. Mariners used the data of the ancient Greek mathematician Eratosthenes on the length of the equator line.
Thanks to the equator we can calculate the exact coordinates of any point on the earth's surface. This line helps navigate climate zones and natural areas . Exactly equatorial latitudes receive the most plenty of sunlight and heat.
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I remember when I was 5 years old, my friends and I learned from older comrades that there is a country where it is always warm and always summer. That was the surprise of only children exploring the world, and enthusiastic exclamations: “If only we could do this!” Much later, at school, we realized that the name of this “super-country” is the equator (our schoolchildren friends then had this in mind). The task of marking the equator on contour maps still evokes nostalgia when I look at them. And in student years The equator, as half of the training completed, already had a completely different meaning :). But now we are talking about it from the geographical perspective.
Equator: definition and characteristics
Just as on a geometric ruler, zero is the starting point, so the equator is the starting point of geographic latitude. Its latitude is zero. It figuratively divides planet Earth into two hemispheres (Southern, Northern) and perpendicular to the axis of rotation. Interesting features of zero latitude:
- after all, there is real terrain on the path of the imaginary line. The zero parallel crosses three continents (Asia, South America, Africa), three oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian), 13 countries;
- The zones closest to the equator are called the tropics. It really is always summer there. Warm, humid air. Day is invariably equal to night;
- this unique part of the Earth, compared to others, receives greatest number radiation from the Sun;
- thanks to the constant heat of the sun and rain, for tropical climates characterized by very lush vegetation.
The equator was known even before our era
Knowing this fact once again makes us admire the truly greatest wisdom of ancient scientists. As one of my teachers said: “It is easy to make discoveries if you have a number of tools to achieve a goal, but make at least one discovery using only your mind.” But they could.
More than 2000 years ago, the ancient Greek philologist, geographer, mathematician, astronomer - Eratosthenes of Cyrene was able to calculate the length of the radius of our planet and its circumference. The data he obtained differs very slightly from modern ones!
Scientists claim the length of the equator is 40,075 km; Eratosthenes “counted” approximately 39,500 km. Have you been to the equator? Were surprised equal to length day and night at any time of the year ? For me, this was the biggest surprise of equatorial reality! The heat and summer foreshadowed long sunny days , sunbathing on the beach and swimming, but about! Have you seen this in our latitudes? In response to my surprised question, my friend grinned: “This is the equator!” I’ll try to tell you what the “equator” is and what other interesting things you can see and feel when arriving near it.
What is the equator in the generally accepted sense
I always like to start with the origin and translation of a word, because usually this is the main meaning. Translated from Latin word"equator" means « level, equalize" That is, the word “equator” itself is something dividing and leveling.
There are many common expressions of the word "equator". For example, the equator of higher education educational institution means half of the completed course of study. But I will return to the most commonly used meaning of this term, namely, the geographic equator!
What is the Earth's equator
If we talk about the Earth's equator, then it is equidistant from both poles imaginary plane, which divides our Earth, cuts it like an apple into two equal halves - Southern and Northern Hemispheres!
- At the equator the length of day and night are the same- this amazed me most of all!
- At the equator items at noon and people do not cast shadows on equinoxes- feel like a vampire!
- How closer to the equator, the less you will weigh, since gravity decreases!
- At the equator our the planet is spinning faster! This rotation speed is almost one and a half times higher than the speed of sound in air!
- Equator line closest to the Sun, so there warmest on Earth, but nevertheless exactly on the equator line at an altitude of 4690 meters located glacier!
In the world exists several monuments to the equator! The most famous of them are Marco Zero in Brazil and a monument called "Middle of the World" in Ecuador.
It's not for nothing that Ecuador decided to build monument to the equator, because it is to him that the country owes its name! Crowds of tourists flock to the famous Yellow Line for photo opportunities. But, in fact, the real line of the equator in Ecuador lies a little further away - on the territory of the Intiñan Museum, but this usually does not bother tourists!
Why was the designation of the equator introduced?
Definition of the equator helps with making maps, determining coordinates, terrain orientation and even launching satellites! As you approach the equator, climatic and physical conditions change so much that you don’t have time to be surprised at the diversity of our planet!
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