Why is greenwich england so important to a geographer

The prime…. When the railway and communications networks expanded in the s and s, there needed to be an international time standard. Greenwich was chosen as the centre for world time. Where is the Prime Meridian? The final meridian was established as an imaginary line from the north pole to the south pole passing through the Airy transit circle.

For all practical purposes of the period, the changes as the meridian was moved went unnoticed. This special north-south line is where we measure east and west and is the Prime Meridian. We also call it the Greenwich Meridian because it runs through Greenwich, England. As the reference for GMT, the Prime Meridian at Greenwich therefore became the centre of world time and the basis for the global system of time zones. Therefore this also became the start of the Universal Day.

Therefore the Prime Meridian at Greenwich became the centre of world time. The Greenwich Meridian became the international standard for the prime meridian. Longitudes are also called Meridians. The Prime Meridian passes through Greenwich, in England. Some Important Longitudes include :. International Date Line Longitude o. Characteristics of Longitudes. Each meridian is half of a great circle. They run in a true north-south direction from.

They are spaced farthest apart at the equator but. Meridians help us to determine standard time. Latitudes are also called Parallels. Longitudes and Latitudes are expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds. Some Important Latitudes:. Equator Latitude 0 o. Tropic of Cancer Latitude Tropic of Capricorn Latitude Arctic Circle Latitude Antarctic Circle Latitude Characteristics of Latitudes:. Aside the equator, all latitudes are small circles. Always parallel to one another. True east-west lines.

Important for the determination of the climatic. Geographic Grid is used to identify locations on the earth. A modern instrument for determining locations is termed Global Positioning System. A Great Circle is a plane that passes through the center of the earth.

Equator and all Meridians. The shortest distance between any two points on the earth's surface is attained along the arc of a Great Circle. King Harsha. Tropic World. Geography Key Terms. The Geography of Africa HW. Fall Final Review. Chapter 59 - Iowa State University. Download advertisement. Add this document to collection s.

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