UNIT 1: THE PLANET EARTH

How many planets are there in our Solar System? What is the Equator? Why does life exist in our planet? Does The Earth move? What is a map?

1. Planet Earth TOPICS 2. Movements of the Earth: Rotation and Revolution 3. Lines and geographic coordinates: parallels, meridians, latitude and longitude 4. Times zones 5. Representation of the Earth: maps

1. The Planet Earth The Earth is the third planet from the sun in our solar system. It is around 4.600 million years old.

1. The Planet Earth The Earth is a sphere, but not a perfect one. It is flat at two geographic points called poles. The top point is called North Pole and the bottom one the South Pole. The Earth is usually represented as a sphere with an imaginary axis going through it from pole to pole. There is also an imaginary circle around the Earth, called the Equator.

1. The Planet Earth The Equator divides the Earth into two equal halves called hemispheres: the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere.

1. The Planet Earth

1. The Planet Earth The Earth is the only planet in the solar system where life is known to exist. This is because of the following conditions: The surface temperature makes it possible for water to remain in a liquid state. The presence of liquid water makes life possible for people, animals and plants. The atmosphere, a gaseous covering that surround the Earth, protects living thing from harmful solar radiation.

ACTIVITIES 1. Find the name of the eight planets and write it down from the closest to the sun to the furthest from the sun. V M E R C U R Y E C O N O G R J N A S T T U L U U R A N U S A P S T T I L O N I E N U T P E N T H T R A E K I E D S N M A R S R

ACTIVITIES 2. Write the correct name of each imaginary line in the box: Equator, North Pole, South Pole, Axis.

ACTIVITIES 3. Choose the correct words: a) The Earth is a(n) perfect/imperfect sphere. b) The Equator divides the Earth into two equal poles/hemispheres. c) One reason there is life on Earth is because there is liquid water/gas. d) The temperature/atmosphere protect us from harmful radiation.

2. MOVEMENTS OF THE EARTH The Earth moves in two different ways: ROTATION: refers to the Earth turning around itself. It takes 24 hours effects: the succession of days and night. REVOLUTION: refers to the Earth revolving around the Sun describing an elliptical orbit. It takes 365 days and 6 hour ( leap year) effects: the succession of seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Another effect of revolution is eclipses.

2. MOVEMENTS OF THE EARTH ROTATION

2. MOVEMENTS OF THE EARTH REVOLUTION

2. MOVEMENTS OF THE EARTH The four cardinal points: NORTH WEST EAST SOUTH

2. MOVEMENTS OF THE EARTH To find each point you can use a compass, an instrument than always points North.

2. MOVEMENTS OF THE EARTH The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. A sunset

ACTIVITIES 4. Complete the chart with the main characteristics of the two movements made by the Earth: ROTATION REVOLUTION WHAT IT CONSIST OF DURATION CONSEQUENCES

3. Lines and geographic coordinates Geographic network: a grid of imaginary lines that can be used to determine the location of a place on the surface of the Earth. This lines are: Parallels: imaginary parallel circles perpendicular to the Earth s axis. They are drawn around the Earth from East to West. The reference parallel is the Equator, or parallel 0º.

3. Lines and geographic coordinates The other principal parallels are: o The Tropic of Cancer o The Arctic Circle o The Tropic of Capricorn o The Antarctic Circle

3. Lines and geographic coordinates

3. Lines and geographical coordinates Meridians: imaginary semicircles drawn from the North Pole to the South Pole. The prime meridian is meridian 0º or Greenwich meridian. The number of meridians that can be drawn could be infinite. Maps always show meridians every 5⁰, 10⁰, 15⁰ or 20⁰

3. Lines and geographic coordinates

3. Lines and geographic coordinates Geographic coordinates To find a place on the surface of the Earth we have to know its geographic coordinates, which are its latitude and longitude. Latitude: the distance between any point on the Earth s surface and the Equator. It is measured in degrees north or south. Its value is between 0º and 90º.

3. Lines and geographic coordinates Geographic coordinates Longitude: the distance between any point on the Earth s surface and the Greenwich meridian. It is measured in degrees east or west. Its value is between 0º and 180º.

3. Lines and geographic coordinates Latitude

3. Lines and geographic coordinates Longitude

3. Lines and geographic coordinates Latitude and longitude grid

ACTIVITIES 5. Write the correct name of each imaginary line in the box:

ACTIVITIES

4. Time zones

5. Representation of the Earth CYLINDRICAL PROJECTION EQUATOR (And the whole world) PLANAR PROJECTION THE POLES CONICAL PROJECTION THE MIDDLE LATITUDES (between the tropics and the polar circles)

5. Representation of the Earth

THE END By José Luis Alcaide Juárez Geography & History teacher IES Puerta de la Axarquía