This document provides information about maps and globes, including their advantages and disadvantages. It explains that globes accurately show the shapes and sizes of landmasses and oceans, while maps represent these on a flat surface, which can distort sizes and distances. The document also defines geographic lines like the equator and prime meridian that divide the globe. It notes different map projections can distort shapes depending on their purpose. Finally, it poses questions about locations of cities and superlatives like largest bodies of water and countries.

1. Maps and Globes

2. Globes Maps What is it? Scale model of Earth that shows actual shapes, sizes and locations of Earth’s landmasses and water bodies Drawing or representation, on a flat surface, of a region Advantages *Shape of land and water bodies are accurate * Compass directions are correct * Distance from one location to another is accurately represented * Can show details too small to be seen on a globe * Flat can be easily folded/carried Disadvantages * Can not show small areas in great detail * Not easily folded or carried * Size, shape and relative location of a place may not be accurate… distorted

3. Equator imaginary line halfway between North and South Poles dividing the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres

4. Prime Meridian imaginary line that runs North to South through Greenwich, England and divides the globe into Eastern and Western Hemispheres

5. Lines of Latitude set of lines that runs parallel to the equator and measures distance north or south of the equator… 1 degree = 70 miles

6. Lines of Longitude show degrees of longitude east or west of Prime Meridian; not the same distance apart

7. Global Grid allows you to give the absolute location of any place on Earth

8. Map Projections These images show the earth using different projections. Notice how the continents look stretched or squashed depending on the projection. All map projections distort the surface in some fashion. Depending on the purpose of the map, some distortions are acceptable and others are not; therefore different map projections exist in order to preserve some properties of the sphere-like body at the expense of other properties.