Where does the equator pass and what is it, what is its duration and why did scientists even need to invent this imaginary line. Let's talk about all this in more detail.
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Concept definition
The equator is a conditional line that runs exactly through the center of our planet. Geographic latitude of the equator- 0 degrees. It serves as a reference point and enables scientists to carry out various calculations, which will be discussed below. Equator divides Earth into two absolutely equal parts.
Important! In the territories along which the equator passes, the night is always equal to the day, without deviation even for a fraction of a second.
The equatorial zone receives the largest number ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the farther the point is from the conditional line, the less heat and light comes to it. That is why the highest temperature indicators were registered in the region of the conditional line.
Purpose
To conduct various calculations, scientists need to designate the special separators of the planet, which are the equator, parallels and meridians.
These conditional lines allow you to determine the position of various objects, enable aircraft to navigate in, and ships - to.
In addition, it is this band that allows scientists to cut the entire territory of the planet into climatic zones or belts.
In fact, the circumference of the equator is a key metric characteristic that is taken into account. It helps not only in such sciences as geodesy or elementary geography, but also in astrology and astronomy.
At the equator at this moment the territories of fourteen states are located. political map The world is constantly changing: countries appear and disappear, their borders can expand or narrow. What states are we talking about?
- Brazil,
- Ecuador,
- Indonesia,
- Maldives and other countries.
What is the circumference of the earth at the equator
According to the most accurate calculations, the length of the equator per kilometer is 40075 km. But the length of the Earth's equator in miles reaches 24901 miles.
As for such a thing as radius, it can be polar and equatorial. The dimensions of the first in kilometers reach 6356, and the second - 6378 km
All areas in close proximity to this imaginary line have a warm and humid climate.
It is no coincidence that life in these areas is simply seething. This is where most of the variety of plant and animal species.
equatorial forests are considered the densest in the world, and some of them are completely impenetrable wilds, even taking into account all modern scientific achievements.
Precipitation in the equatorial zone is almost daily and very plentiful. That is why everything that is and grows here shines with a wide variety of colors.
On the planet there is a volcano named Wolf. So, the fact is that it is currently active and, interestingly, is located on both sides of the conditional line.
Attention! The average annual temperature in this area reaches 25-30 degrees Celsius.
Heat all year round makes the countries that are in this region an ideal holiday destination for tourists. This is especially true of the popular resorts located in the Maldives, where millions of tourists from all over the world come every year.
Important! There is a glacier at the equator. It is located at an altitude of 4690 meters on the slope of a volcano called Cayambe.
it amazing place, especially for . The fact is that the speed of rotation of the Earth on this conditional line reaches more than 460 meters per second.
The speed of sound at the same time reaches only 330 meters per second. Therefore, any spacecraft, which are launched from here, already, as it were, start at supersonic speed.
We talked about how long the equator is, what role it plays in modern life person. As many as three countries are named in his part.
Today, any student who has not skipped geography lessons will be able to answer the question posed in the title of the article. The length of the equator is just over forty thousand kilometers. But far from always people possessed this information, so first we will plunge into history.
The earth stands on three pillars...
Still at dawn human civilization, in the Neolithic era, people began to think about the structure of the world around them, the structure of the Earth. In many ways, their ideas were based on mythology, with the help of which attempts were made to explain natural phenomena and movement. heavenly bodies. For lack of written sources modern historians cannot say with accuracy what Neolithic people thought about the structure of the Earth. However, later, after the invention of signs that allow you to save ancient wisdom, it became possible to create entire scientific treatises. And in one of the ancient Indian texts, the theory was reflected, according to which the flat Earth rests on three giant whales, and the whales swim in the ocean. What the ocean rests on is not reported in the treatise. But what can we say about ancient people, if even today in the USA, as if confirming the words of Mikhail Zadornov, there is a “Society flat earth", whose members defend their point of view, and the entire space program explained by a global conspiracy!
From geocentric...
However, with the development of science, three whales ceased to satisfy scientists, and in ancient Greece a theory appeared according to which the Earth, which has the shape of a ball, is at the center of the universe, and the Sun, Moon and stars revolve around it. The outstanding astronomer of antiquity, Ptolemy, also adhered to this point of view.
... to the heliocentric theory of the structure of the solar system
Although this theory was big step forward, it could not explain all the visible changes in the starry sky, so the heliocentric theory was developed in parallel with the geocentric one, but many more years passed until the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was able to prove its validity.
Equator
The adoption of the heliocentric theory made it possible to define such a concept as the "equator". This is an imaginary line that runs along the surface of the Earth in a plane passing through its center and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the planet. But if we figured out the definition, then the debate has not subsided so far about how long the equator is. To measure this value, without having modern appliances, people needed to at least reach that line.
The first sailors
For the first time, navigation arose in the Mediterranean Sea and was a coastal navigation, that is, along the coast, without losing sight of it. However, the Phoenicians soon learned to determine the position of their ship by the stars and were able to break away from the coast. After passing through the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar), they entered the Atlantic Ocean, crossed the equator and circled Africa. One of the proofs of such voyages is the famous White Lady of Brandberg, a cave drawing in Namibia. However, reaching the border between the Northern and Southern hemispheres still did not allow us to determine what the length of the equator is.
Age of Discovery
Soon people became so friendly with the sea-ocean that they began to swim farther and farther away from their native shores. Loud discoveries of new lands and sea routes followed: America, waterway to India, Australia. And finally, Magellan's first circumnavigation of the world. This Portuguese navigator first decided to find out what the length of the equator really is. And he led the expedition, which set itself the task of circumnavigating the globe. But it's all a joke. Ferdinand Magellan really made a trip around the world, but not strictly along the equator, but as the geography of the oceans allowed.
From travelers to scientists
Since it is rather difficult to determine such a value as the length of the equator by direct measurement "on the ground", some scientists decided to find the desired number using mathematical calculations. The ancient Greek mathematician Eratosthenes was the first to undertake such work. At the invitation of the Egyptian king Ptolemy III, he moved to Alexandria, where he soon became the keeper of her library. Having spent a series complex experiments and calculations, he determined that the length of the Earth's equator is 252,000 stadia. Since Eratosthenes lived and worked in Alexandria, he used Egyptian stages. If we translate them into kilometers familiar to us, then the length of the equator will be 39,690 kilometers, which is quite close to true value. The error is less than 1 percent, for those times simply amazing accuracy of calculations.
The length of the Earth at the equator through the eyes of modern scientists
Years passed, centuries. Improved measuring instruments and techniques. Mankind went into space and was able to create detailed maps earth's surface. Accordingly, the length of the equator was determined more accurately. The line of zero latitude runs along the earth's surface, which has a height difference relative to the level of the world's oceans from 10,994 meters (Challenger Abyss, Mariana Trench) to 8,848 meters (Mount Chomolungma). And although such sharp changes in heights are not observed directly at the equator, it still makes it very difficult to measure its length. Therefore, for calculations, the average radius of the Earth was taken, which, according to the WGS-84 geophysical standard, is 6378 kilometers 137 meters, which gives an equator length of 40,075 km.
Is the length of the equator a constant value?
And now let's try to answer the question of what is the reason for the discrepancy in the values of the length of the equator between modern scientists and Eratosthenes. Perhaps the whole point is not only in the imperfection of measuring instruments? What if the equator just got longer? Modern scientists adhere to the theory of the structure of the Earth and the drift of continents based on plate tectonics. However, back in 1968, the Soviet geologist Vladimir Larin put forward the theory of the hydride structure of the Earth's core. He suggested that the substance from which our planet was formed contained a large number of atomic hydrogen. It reacted with iron and nickel, which make up the Earth's core, resulting in the formation of hydrides of these elements. As a result internal processes in the bowels of the planet there is a gradual heating of the core and the release of hydrogen. This leads to a decrease in density and, accordingly, to an increase in the size of the Earth. This theory not only more fully explains the "drift" of the continents, but also allows you to explain the formation of mineral deposits, primarily hydrocarbons. So it is quite possible that oil, gas, coal have abiogenic origin, and their synthesis in the bowels of the planet is still taking place. Moreover, confirmation of the work of the Soviet scientist was also found in ancient Zoroastrian myths, where it is said that in order to increase the surface of the Earth, the gods increased its size three times by one third. This theory, among other things, makes it possible to explain and mass extinction for a short period of time many species of ancient animals, the so-called Triassic massacre. The most interesting thing is that the increase in the radius of the planet occurs at the present time, by about two centimeters per year. This is confirmed by regular measurements of scientists, but earlier these results could not be explained, except for the absorption of dust from Earth by Earth. outer space. So over time, the length of the equator will increase.
I learned early on what the equator is, even from my first children's atlases, but it did not arouse a keen interest in me then.
A little later, when I became interested in the nature of South America, my interest in this issue increased dramatically. After all, the equator passes through three South American countries: Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia.
General information about the equator
Officially, we can say that: The equator is a section of the earth, passing through the center of the Earth, and perpendicular to the axis of its rotation.
I'll just tell you that if our planet, like a watermelon, is horizontal and even to cut in half, then on the section there will be an equator that passes through: Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as more than a dozen states in Africa, Asia and both Americas
It's interesting that:
- hemisphere separated from each other equator;
- length of the equator more than forty thousand kilometers;
- equator it is impossible to touch, in fact, it is only a mark on the maps.
Weather and climate
The climate is humid tropical.
He is characterized by:
If at the poles night and day can last almost half a year, then at the equator they always last exactly twelve o'clock.
Nature and ecology
equatorial belt rich in his tropical forests. It is home to many species of flora and fauna. The variety of life forms is amazing. Remember the African jungle and the Amazon jungle - how many unusual and amazing animals and plants are there!
Unfortunately, it is these forests that have become the main victims of mass deforestation. Violation of this unique ecosystem leads to the death of many species of flora and fauna. It is absolutely impossible to overestimate the importance of these forests for all of us, because they can rightfully be considered "lungs" of our planet.
And even though most of us live far from the equator, any forests are important for all of us! Keep this in mind and do your best to forests have not disappeared from the face of the earth.
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When I start to remember how I learned about the equator, several associations come to mind from rather early childhood. But the brightest is connected with the cartoon about Captain Vrungel. When his yacht crossed the zero parallel, the captain, according to the old maritime custom, arranged a holiday for Neptune, which caused some confusion for the ignorant crew members (they decided that Vrungel had overheated in the sun). Probably, then it became interesting to me what kind of place this "equator" is.
What is the equator
This is a fictitious line passing exactly between the two poles of the planet and at the same time perpendicular to the axis of rotation. So she divides the Earth into two hemispheres: Northern and Southern.
But, despite its intangibility, the equator can still be seen. This line is obtained the closest part of the planet to the sun, which means the warmest. Therefore, it is enough to look at a map of the Earth to see how juicy green tropical forests (they are also called equatorial) "outline" a kind of vegetative equator.
equatorial forests
Kingdom of evergreen trees with beautiful glossy leaves. By the way, the gloss here is not for beauty. AT tropical forests always very humid, so plants have learned to produce a special wax that covers the leaves with a thin film It keeps them from rotting. From such "waxed" beauties, water rolls down like from an umbrella.
Nowhere else on the planet you will find trees whose flowers and fruits grow right on the trunk. This phenomenon even received a special name - caulifloria.
But like any forest on Earth, the tropical one also has tiers:
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I received the minimum set of knowledge about the equator back in school years in geography lessons. While equator I associated it with the hottest place on the planet, where the sun constantly shines, where exotic fruits grow and amazing animals live. What is the equator?
The equator is the circumference of the earth
It is a circular line passing through the entire globe perpendicular to the axis of its rotation, and located at the same distance from the poles.
What is the equator for?
Once equator is an imaginary line, then I immediately had a question, why then did scientists need to imagine it?
- Thanks to the equator, as well as other imaginary lines (meridians, parallels), it is possible to very accurately determine the location of all objects, regardless of where they are (at sea, on land or even in the air).
- The equatorial line divides the planet into two parts: the northern and southern hemispheres.
- Thanks to the equator, it is easy to navigate in climatic zones. Territories that are located in the immediate vicinity of it receive maximum amount sun and heat, here - eternal summer! As you move away from here to the poles, you can notice a significant reduction in reaching the surface of the Earth sunlight The climate gets colder with distance from the equator. I live in middle lane Russia, where even in summer it is not always warm and sunny. Therefore, I am very attracted by hot countries located in the equatorial region.
What is the length of the equator
Equator can be called the longest parallel. Its length was first calculated in Ancient Greece. It was the scientist Eratosthenes. He watched the rays of the sun penetrate into a deep well. By measuring the time it took the rays to reach the bottom, he was able to determine the size of the radius of our planet, and then equator length. Such an approximate calculation gave a very accurate result - 40075 km. This parameter of the Earth is one of the key metric characteristics, which is actively used in geodesy, astronomy and astrology.
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One of my favorite topics at school in geography lessons was the calculation geographical coordinates. In order to find exact coordinates points I was looking for the equator and prime meridian. Around that time, I thought about how people live at the equator, because the Northern and Southern hemispheres are fundamentally different from each other. If it is summer north of the equator, then it is winter in the south at the same time. Of course, this happens only in theory, but in life the climate at the equator does not change at all.
What is the equator
When I hear the word equator, I immediately present geographical map with a clear straight line in the middle. In practice, this is not at all the case, because equator- only conditional lineI, which divides the earth into two equal parts. From Latin aequator stands for "to equalize". Scientists call the equator a conditional line, which passes through the center of the earth parallel to its axis of rotation. Thanks to mathematical calculations, it was found that equator lengtha is 40,075.676 km.
Where is the equator
The equator line is beginning reference geographical latitude . She goes through these big countries:
A bit of history
Even the ancient Egyptians sailed along the coast along mediterranean sea. Phoenicians the first went beyond it through the Pillars of Hercules (the so-called Strait of Gibraltar) in open waters Atlantic Ocean. They are dguessed about the existence of the equator, but also could not calculate its length. Phoenicians crossed the line of the equator and swam almost to the southern part of Africa. A cave drawing has survived to this day in Namibia. "The White Lady of Brandberg» .
Age of Discovery
After the discovery of America by Columbus, large-scale voyages of Europeans across the oceans began. Were open sea routes to India and Australia. F. Magellan was the first to sail the territory of the globe. During your journey Magellan could not sail strictly on the equatoRU. This was not allowed by the geography of the oceans. During the first world travel already proved the existence of the equator. Navigators used the data of an ancient Greek mathematician Eratosthenes on the length of the equatorial line.
Thanks to the equator, we can calculate the exact coordinates of any point on the earth's surface. This conditional line helps to navigate in climatic zones and natural areas . Exactly equatorial latitudes get most plenty of sunlight and heat.
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I remember at the age of 5, my girlfriends and I learned from older comrades that there is a country where it is always warm and always summer. That was the surprise, only knowing the world of kids, and enthusiastic exclamations: “I wish we were like that!”. Much later, at school, we realized that the name of this “super-country” is the equator (our school friends then had it in mind). The task is to mark the equator on contour maps I still get nostalgic when I look at them. And in student years the equator, as the passed half of the training, had a completely different meaning :). But now we are talking about him from the side geographical representations.
Equator: definition and characteristics
As on a geometric ruler, zero is the reference point, so the equator is the origin of the geographic latitude. Its latitude is zero. It figuratively divides the planet Earth into two hemispheres (Southern, Northern) and perpendicular to the axis of rotation. Interesting features of zero latitude:
- for there is real terrain in the path of the imaginary line. Zero parallel crosses three continents (Asia, South America, Africa), three oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian), 13 countries;
- the areas near the equator are called the tropics. It really is always summer there. Warm, humid air. Day is invariably equal to night;
- this unique part of the Earth, in comparison with others, receives the greatest amount of radiation from the Sun;
- thanks to constant solar heat and rains, for a tropical climate characterized by very lush vegetation.
The equator was known even before our era
Knowledge of this fact again makes you admire, indeed, the greatest wisdom ancient scientists. As one of my teachers said: “It is easy to make discoveries with a number of tools to achieve the goal, but make at least one discovery with only your mind.” And they could.
Even more than 2000 years ago, the ancient Greek philologist, geographer, mathematician, astronomer - Eratosthenes of Cyrene was able to calculate the length of the radius of our planet and its circumference. The data obtained by him differ very slightly from modern ones! Scientists claim the length of the equator is 40,075 km, Eratosthenes "counted" approximately 39,500 km.
Have you been to the equator? wondered equal to the length day and night at any time of the year? For me, this was the biggest surprise of equatorial reality! The heat and summer foreshadowed long sunny days, sunbathing on the beach and swimming, but about 6:00 p.m. Sun disappears below the horizon! Have you seen this in our latitudes? To my surprised question, a friend grinned: “This is the equator!” What is the "equator" and what other interesting things can be seen and felt when arriving near it, I will try to tell you.
What is the equator in the conventional sense
I like to always start with the origin and translation of the word, because usually this is the main meaning. Translated from Latin word"equator" means « equalize, equalize". That is, the very word "equator" is something separating and equalizing.
There are many everyday expressions for the word "equator". For example, the equator of higher education educational institution means half of the completed course of study. But I will return to the most commonly used meaning of this term, namely, to the geographical equator!
What is the Earth's equator
If we talk about the equator of the Earth, then this is equidistant from both poles imaginary plane, which divides our earth cuts it like an apple into two equal halves - Southern and northern hemisphere !
- at the equator the length of the day and night are the same- this surprised me the most!
- at the equator items at noon and people cast no shadows on equinoxes- feel like a vampire!
- How closer to the equator, the less you will weigh, since gravity decreases!
- At the equator our the planet is spinning faster! This rotation speed is almost one and a half times higher than the speed of sound in air!
- equator line closest to the sun, so there warmest thing on earth, but nevertheless on the equator line at an altitude of 4690 meters located glacier!
In the world exists several monuments to the equator! The most famous of them - Marco Zero in Brazil and a monument called "Middle of the World" in Ecuador.
Not in vain in Ecuador decided to build equator monument, because it is to him that the country owes its name! In the name of the opportunity to take pictures on the famous yellow line, crowds of tourists flock to it. But, in fact, the real equator line in Ecuador runs a little further - on the territory of the Intiñan Museum, but this usually does not bother tourists!
Why was the equator introduced?
Definition of the Equator helps with mapping, determining the coordinates, orienteering and even satellite launch! As we approach the equator, climatic and physical conditions change so much that you do not have time to be surprised at the diversity of our planet!
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The equator is an imaginary circular line that encircles the entire globe and passes through the center of the Earth.
The equator line is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of our planet and is located on equal distance from both poles.
Equator: what is it and why is it needed?
So the equator is an imaginary line. Why did serious scientists need to imagine some kind of lines outlining the Earth? Then, that the equator, like the meridians, parallels and other separators of the planet, which exist only in the imagination and on paper, make it possible to make calculations, navigate the sea, on land and in the air, determine the location of various objects, etc.
The equator divides the Earth into the northern and southern hemispheres and serves as the reference point for geographic latitude: the latitude of the equator is 0 degrees. It helps to navigate in the climatic zones of the planet. The equatorial part of the Earth receives the largest amount of sunlight. Accordingly, the further the territories are located from the equatorial line and the closer they are to the poles, the less sun they get.
The equatorial region is an eternal summer, where the air is always hot and very humid due to constant evaporation. At the equator, day is always equal to night. The sun is at its zenith - it shines vertically down - only at the equator and only twice a year (on those days that fall on the equinoxes in most geographical zones Earth).
The equator passes through 14 states. Cities located directly on the line: Macapa (Brazil), Quito (Ecuador), Nakuru and Kisumu (Kenya), Pontinak (Kalimanta Island, Indonesia), Mbandaka (Republic of the Congo), Kampala (the capital of Uganda).
Equator length
The equator is the longest parallel of the Earth. Its length is 40.075 km. The first who could approximately calculate the length of the equator was Eratosthenes, an ancient Greek astronomer and mathematician. To do this, he measured the time during which Sun rays bottomed out deep well. This helped him calculate the length of the radius of the Earth and, accordingly, the equator, thanks to the formula for the circumference of a circle.
It should be noted that the Earth is not a perfect circle, so its radius in different parts slightly different. For example, the radius at the equator is 6378.25 km, and the radius at the poles is 6356.86 km. Therefore, to solve problems of calculating the length of the equator, the radius is assumed to be 6371 km.
The length of the equator is one of the key metric characteristics of our planet. It is used for calculations not only in geography and geodesy, but in astronomy and astrology.
- (lat., from aequus equal). An imaginary line drawn through the center of the globe and dividing it into two hemispheres: northern and southern; equinoctial. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. EQUATOR ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
equator- a, m. equateur lat. aequator equalizer. 1. An imaginary line passing around the globe at an equal distance from both poles and dividing the globe (or celestial sphere) into the northern and southern hemispheres. ALS 1. I am under the equator, under ... ... Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language
EQUATOR, the name of special imaginary circles. The earth's equator is located halfway between the north and south poles and divides the globe into northern and southern hemispheres; it is the zero line from which the geographical ... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary
EQUATOR, equator, male. (lat. aequator, lit. equalizer). 1. An imaginary circle dividing the globe or celestial sphere into two different hemispheres, southern and northern (geographic, astro). Earth's equator. Celestial equator. 2. Every middle circle on a ball, ... ... Dictionary Ushakov
Active ingredient ›› Amlodipine* + Lisinopril* (Amlodipine* + Lisinopril*) Latin name Ekvator ATC: ›› C09BB ACE inhibitors in combination with calcium channel blockers Pharmacological groups: ACE inhibitors in combinations ›› Blockers … Medicine Dictionary
Buttocks, ass, toilet, meridian, belly, ass, butt Dictionary of Russian synonyms. equator n., number of synonyms: 9 heat (23) belly ... Synonym dictionary
- (from the Late Latin aequator equalizer) (geographical), a line of section of the earth's surface by a plane passing through the center of the Earth, perpendicular to the axis of its rotation. Separates the northern and southern hemispheres. The beginning of the reference of geographical latitude. ... ... Modern Encyclopedia
- (from late Latin aequator equalizer) (in geography) a line of section of the earth's surface by a plane passing through the center of the Earth, perpendicular to the axis of its rotation. Divides the globe into Sev. and Yuzh. hemisphere. Serves as the beginning of the calculation of geographic latitude. ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
EQUATOR, a, m. An imaginary line of intersection of the earth's surface with a plane passing through the center of the Earth, perpendicular to earth's axis dividing the globe into northern and southern hemispheres. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949… … Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov
M lat. equinox, equinox; a circle suspended from the axis of the world and dividing the imaginary heavenly firmament and our earth into two equal halves: northern and southern; then the heavenly, and this is the earthly equinox, under which days and nights are always equal, and the latitude of the place is zero ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
Heavenly great circle celestial sphere, whose plane is perpendicular to the line connecting the poles of the sphere, and parallel to the plane of the earth's E. Serves as the main plane for counting the declinations and right ascensions of the luminaries ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
Books
- Equator, Tavares M .. "Equator" is a novel of grandiose drama and frenzied passion, and its external slowness and detail only further accentuate the irrepressible movement of the protagonist, a young diplomat ...
