WORLD FOUNDATIONS · LESSON 02
Equator & hemispheres
Discover the invisible lines that help us describe our world.
EXPLORE 1 OF 6
One world. Two halves.
Choose a topic to see it on the map.
North is at the top. Both edges join at 180° on a globe. This flat map stretches areas near the poles.
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Equator
The Equator is an imaginary line halfway between the North and South Poles. It is 0° latitude and separates the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
On this north-up map, it runs across the middle.
Finding your next challenge…
About this lesson · notes for teachers
Learning goals: identify the Equator and prime meridian; distinguish the four hemispheres; connect 0° latitude and longitude to the correct lines. Practise includes hints. Challenge shuffles ten questions and removes hints. Both allow time to read explanations before continuing.
We use the conventional 0° and 180° boundaries for east and west. The International Date Line bends away from 180° in places and is not the hemisphere boundary. A point on the Equator is on the boundary, not strictly north or south of it.