Planet Earth is covered by a network of conditional lines in blue. This can be seen on any of the physical maps. The equator is one such line. At any point on this line, the sun is at its zenith twice a year. The equator crosses continents, oceans and seas, islands and large rivers. It has several large cities. In more detail, the geography of the main parallel of the planet we will consider in this article.
What is the equator?
What continents does the equator cross? To answer this question, you need a physical map of the world. And in general, we’ll find out what kind of line this is - the equator?
The term itself comes from the Latin word aequator, which means "equalize," "align." This line is drawn, albeit conditionally, but not without reason. Figuratively speaking, the equator borders a plane that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the Earth and passes through its center.
Twice a year at noon (March 20 and September 22), the sun above the equator is at its zenith. That is, the heavenly luminary is right above your head. These days, objects here do not cast shadows at all.
What equator crosses continents, oceans and countries?
The equator is the main and longest parallel of our planet, the latitude of which is 0 degrees. Its exact length is 40,075.7 km.
The zero parallel of the Earth crosses various countries and seas, continents and oceans. Continents crossing the equator are traditionally considered “southern”. There are only two of them - South America and Africa. The equator line also runs along the water surface of the three oceans of the planet: the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific. In the Indian and Pacific Oceans, it crosses a number of large and small islands.
It should be noted that the equator crosses the continents in different ways. So, he "dissects" South America in its northern part. But the equator divides Africa almost in half. And this fact was reflected in the nature features of the “black continent”. The main natural zones of Africa are located mirror-image in relation to the main parallel of the Earth.
If you look at this map of the planet, you can consider in detail which continents the equator crosses (its line is shown in red).
The equator also passes through the territory of twelve independent states. In addition, the line crosses the economic zone of Kiribati, as well as the US-owned Baker Islands.
Equator as a cultural attraction
In many countries, in places where the zero parallel runs, the corresponding signs and monuments are built. So, there are grandiose monuments in Indonesia, Brazil and Ecuador. Commemorative tablets are installed in Kenya, Gabon and Congo.
The most interesting and visited monument by tourists from this series is located in Ecuador, near the city of Kyoto. This is a monument called "Mid-World", which was built in the early 80's. Its height is 30 meters. The monument is made of iron and concrete, and its top is crowned with a huge five-ton ball.
Near the monument there is all the necessary tourist infrastructure: a museum, cafes and souvenir shops. A line is drawn from the monument directly on the earth, which divides the planet into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. A mandatory ritual of every tourist who has been here is to take pictures so that their legs are in different hemispheres of the planet.
True, few travelers know that the true equator line runs 240 meters from a popular attraction. The whole point is a mistake that the builders of the monument made almost forty years ago.
Conclusion
The equator crosses the continents (Africa and South America), the oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Indian), as well as a number of islands. In many countries of the world, the places where the main parallel of the Earth passes are marked with commemorative signs, tablets or real monuments.