To travel, you need to know at least approximately where you are moving. And even better, it’s hard to understand which point you will get to, and how best to go from point A to point B. There are maps for this. Unlike plans (cities or a relatively small area)
terrain), they have a larger scale and determine the geographical coordinates of objects. This is done for convenience: with the help of these sophisticated figures we can determine whether a given point is located north or south of another, and also move us west or east, for example, to get from St. Petersburg to Moscow.
They say: “The language will bring to Kiev”, however, the geographical coordinates will tell you even better. What it is? These are conditional lines that are mapped to a map or globe. Naturally, in the real area you will not find them - unless, such a sign can be found in some cities that are located directly on the parallel or meridian. Let's look at what latitude and longitude are. Our planet has the shape of an ellipse, that is, not an ideal ball, but slightly compressed to the poles. But for ease of reference, the coordinates are plotted as if the Earth is an absolute sphere.
It is known that it revolves around its axis. Where this axis is in contact with the surface, there are poles - North and South. If we graphically connect them together, we get 360 conditional lines (because the sphere has an angle of 360 degrees). These stripes on a map or globe are geographic coordinates indicating longitude. There are two important meridians on Earth. First
th - Zero. He passes through the observatory in the town of Greenwich, near London, and therefore is called by his name. The second is 180 °, approximately coinciding with
the Date Line.Geographic coordinates have another parameter - latitude. If we draw a conditional line not along the rotation of our planet, but across, exactly in the middle, then this will be the equator. If the Greenwich Meridian divides the sphere into the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, then zero latitude into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Since there is a right angle between the equator and the pole through the center of the Earth, there are 90 parallels in each hemisphere. The North Pole is 90 ° north latitude, and the South, respectively, 90 ° south. All geographical degrees are divided into minutes and seconds.
Thus, any point on the surface of the Earth has its latitude and longitude. Determining the geographical coordinates was very important for sailors, who, being in the middle of the ocean, were devoid of any reference points. They should have understood where they are and where they are.
to be played. They determined the latitude with the help of astrolabe - a special instrument that indicated the angle of the Sun above the horizon at noon.
But in order to calculate the geographical coordinates of cities, towns, and other points, a modern person does not need to use such complex devices at all. Just look in the atlas to determine the longitude and latitude of a geographical object. Parallels are indicated on the right and left, and meridians are indicated at the top and bottom of the cartographic image of the area. And with the help of Google, you can find out the coordinates of the smallest points not indicated on the map with an accuracy of a second.