World Geography Glossary Find the definition of geography terms and phrases. geography The study of the physical features of the earth. Includes study of regional formations and their relation to humans. latitude lines Imaginary lines running horizontally around the globe. Also called parallels, latitude lines are equidistant from each other. Each degree of latitude is about 69 miles (110 km) apart. Zero degrees (0°) latitude is the equator, the widest circumference of the globe. Latitude is measured from 0° to 90° north and 0° to 90° south—90° north is the North Pole and 90° south is the South Pole. longitude lines Imaginary lines, also called meridians, running vertically around the globe. Unlike latitude lines, longitude lines are not parallel. Meridians meet at the poles and are widest apart at the equator. Zero degrees longitude (0°) is called the prime meridian. The degrees of longitude run 180° east and 180° west from the prime meridian. geographic coordinates Latitude and longitude lines form an imaginary grid over the Earth's surface. By combining longitude and latitude measurements, any location on earth can be determined. The units of measurement for geographic coordinates are degrees (°), minutes ('), and seconds ("). Like a circle, the Earth has 360 degrees. Each degree is divided into 60 minutes, which in turn is divided into 60 seconds. Latitude and longitude coordinates also include cardinal directions: north or south of the equator for latitude, and east or west of the prime meridian for longitude. The geographic coordinates of New York City, for example, are 40° N, 74° W, meaning that it is located 40 degrees north latitude and 74 degrees west longitude. Using minutes and seconds as well as degrees, the coordinates for New York would be 40°42'51" N, 74°0'23" W. (Latitude is always listed first.) A less common format for listing coordinates is in decimal degrees. The Tropic of Cancer, for example, can be expressed in degrees and minutes (23°30' N) or in decimal degrees (23.5° N). continental drift Theory that the earth's continents at one time were once part of a singular landmass. It is believed that the continents have spread out due to plate tectonics. hemisphere A hemisphere is half the Earth's surface. The four hemispheres are the Northern and Southern hemispheres, divided by the equator (0° latitude), and the Eastern and Western hemispheres, divided by the prime meridian (0° longitude) and the International Date Line (180°). equator Zero degrees latitude. The Sun is directly overhead the equator at noon on the two equinoxes (March and Sept. 20 or 21). The equator divides the globe into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The equator appears halfway between the North and South poles, at the widest circumference of the globe. It is 24,901.55 miles (40,075.16 km) long. prime meridian Zero degrees longitude (0°). The prime meridian runs through the Royal Greenwich Observatory in Greenwich, England (the location was established in 1884 by international agreement). The prime meridian divides the globe into the Western and Eastern hemispheres. The Earth's time zones are measured from the prime meridian. The time at 0° is called Universal Time (UT) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). With the Greenwich meridian as the starting point, each 15° east and west marks a new time zone. The 24 time zones extend east and west around the globe for 180° to the International Date Line. When it is noon along the prime meridian, it is midnight along the International Date Line. International Date Line Located at 180° longitude (180° E and 180° W are the same meridian). Regions to the east of the International Date Line are counted as being one calendar day earlier than the regions to the west. Although the International Date Line generally follows the 180° meridian (most of which lies in the Pacific Ocean), it does diverge in places. Since 180° runs through several countries, it would divide those countries not simply into two different time zones, but into two different calendar days. To avoid such unnecessary confusion, the date line dips and bends around countries to permit them to share the same time. tropics Also referred to as the torrid zone or tropical zone, all the water and land of the earth between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The tropics experience at least one day per year in which the sun passes directly overhead. Tropic of Cancer A line of latitude located at 23°30' north of the equator. The Sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer on the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21). It marks the northernmost point of the tropics, which falls between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

Millennium Milestones The 100 Most Significant Events of the Last Thousand Years Reducing the millennium to a laundry list of highlights cannot pretend to be a definitive or accurate exercise. Note that only events judged to haveworldsignificance are included. Apologies for the inevitable bias toward Western as well as twentieth century events—we are all prisoners of our own history. For a less whirlwind glance at the last thousand years, see our Millennium Timeline. *.1066— Norman Conquestof Britain *.1095—Pope Urban II calls for the Crusades *.1100s— Angkor Watis built *.1206— Genghis Khanbegins creation of largest land empire in history *.1215— Magna Cartasigned *.1260— Chartres Cathedralconsecrated *.1271— Marco Polobegins travels to Asia *.1273— Thomas Aquinas'sSumma theologica *.1300s— Renaissancebegins in Italy *.1347— Bubonic plague(Black Death) spreads in Europe *.c.1387— Chaucer'sCanterbury Tales *.1399— Tamerlanebegins last great conquest *.1438— Incan Empireformed in Peru *.1455— Gutenberg's movable-type printing press produces the Bible *.1492— Columbusreaches the New World *.1509— Michelangelobegins painting Sistine Chapel *.1513— Machiavelli'sThe Prince *.1517— Martin Lutherinitiates Reformation *.1519— Aztec Empireat height as Spanish arrive *.1520— Suleiman I“the Magnificent” presides over the Ottoman Empire's greatest period *.1522— Magellan's expedition circumnavigates the globe *.1543— Copernicuspostulates a heliocentric universe *.1582— Pope Gregory XIIIreforms calendar *.1603— Shakespeare'sHamlet *.1605— Cervantes'sDon Quixote,first modern novel *.1609— Galileomakes first astronomical observations with a telescope *.1637— DescartespublishesDiscours de la méthode *.1643— Taj Mahalcompleted *.1664— Newton's theory of universal gravitation *.1667— Milton'sParadise Lost *.1684— Leibniz's calculuspublished *.1690— Locke'sEssay Concerning Human Understanding *.1721— Bachcompletes the Brandenburg Concertos *.1755— Johnson'sDictionary of the English Language *.1760— Industrial Revolutionbegins in England *.1762— Rousseau'sThe Social Contract *.1764— Mozart(aged eight) writes first symphony *.1769— Wattpatents first practical steam engine *.1776—U.S. Declaration of Independence; Adam Smith'sWealth of Nations *.1787— U.S. Constitutionsigned *.1789— French Revolutionbegins *.1792— Wollstonecraft'sVindication of the Rights of Woman *.1796— Jennerdiscovers smallpox vaccine *.1808— Beethoven'sFifth Symphony *.1815—Battle of Waterloo crushes Napoleon *.1819— Bolívardefeats Spanish forces at Boyacá *.1826—Niepce takes first photograph *.1833— Slavery abolishedin British Empire *.1842—Long uses first anesthetic(ether) *.1859— Darwin'sOn the Origin of Species;Lenoir builds first practical internal-combustion engine *.1862— Pasteur's experiments lead to germ theory; Salon des Refusés introduces impressionism *.1867—Japan ends 675-year shogun rule *.1876— Bellpatents the telephone *.1879— Edisoninvents electric light *.1880s—Europe colonizes African continent *.1885—World's first skyscraperbuilt in Chicago *.1893— New Zealandbecomes first country in the world to grant women the vote *.1895—Lumiére brothers introduce motion pictures; Marconisends first radio signals *.1897—Herzl launches Zionist movement *.1900— Freud'sInterpretation of Dreams *.1903— Wright brothersfly first motorized airplane *.1905— Einsteinannounces theory of relativity *.1907— Picasso'sLes Demoiselles d'Avignonintroduces cubism *.1911— Rutherforddiscovers structure of atom *.1913— Forddevelops first moving assembly line *.1914— World War Ibegins *.1916— Sangerfounds international birth control movement *.1917— Leninleads the BolshevikRevolution *.1918—Global “Spanish flu” epidemic *.1922— Joyce'sUlyssespublished *.1927— Farnsworthdemonstrates working model of a television; Lemaitreproposes big bang theory *.1928— Flemingdiscovers penicillin *.1929— Hubbleproposes theory of expanding universe; U.S. stock market crash precipitates global depression *.1936— Keynes'sThe General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money *.1939— Hitlerinvades Poland; World War IIbegins *.1942—Nazi leaders at Wannsee Conferencecoordinate “final solution to the Jewish question” *.1945— Atomic bombsare dropped on Hiroshimaand Nagasaki; first electronic computer, ENIAC, is built; Arab Leaguelaunches modern pan-Arabism *.1946—First meeting of U.N. General Assembly; Churchill's “Iron Curtain” speech marks beginning of cold war *.1947— Gandhi's civil disobedience movement leads to an independent India *.1949—Communist victory in Chinaunder Mao Zedong *.1950s— Abstract expressionismintroduced

Time Tangled Island: Ancient Greece Factropica Fast Facts and quizzes Ancient Greece Quiz! Factropica Fast Facts The Oracle of Delphi, which dates to 1400 B.C., was the most important shrine in Greeceand was considered the center of the world. The Oracle at Delphi is also known as Pythiaor Sybil. People believed the Pythia could see into the future. People traveled from all over Greece and beyond to ask the Oracle of Delphi questions, ranging from when to plant crops to predict opportune times to wage war. If people didn't like Pythia's predictions, she would make another for more gold. Greek city-states agreed to work together to protect Delphi, which is on Mount Parnassus. The Oracle of Delphi was a religious site from pre-historic times to c. 395, when the Roman Emperor Theodosiusordered it closed. According to Greek legend, the first Olympics occurred in 776 BC. Opinions differ about their origins. Some credit them to Hercules, who brought a sacred olive tree to Olympia. Another myth says the hero Pelopsestablished the festival after defeating King Oenomaus in a chariot race. Olympia was famous for its temples and monuments, especially 40-foot tall, gold and ivory Statue of Zeus, which was built c. 432 BC. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Lion Gate at Mycenae, which stood at the entrance to the city of Mycenae, was built c. 1250 BC. Mycenae was a center of commerce and culture in ancient Greece. Triremes were a type of ship developed and used in Greece in the 5th century B.C. These ships, which were used in warfare, had three groups of rowers who sat almost on top of each other on each side of the ship.

Time Tangled Island: Aztec Empire Factropica Fast Facts and quizzes Aztec Empire Quiz! Factropica Fast Facts The Aztecsruled what is now Mexicofrom about 1428 to 1521. Tenochtitlán (modern Mexico City) was the capital of the Aztec empire. The Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlanstood about 197 feet (60 meters) high. A shrine to the god Huitzilopochtlisat atop the Great Pyramid. It was the site of both sacrifices and festivals. The Aztecs made important developments in engineering, architecture, art, math, and astronomy. The Aztecs used two calendars: a 260-day cycle for rituals and a 365-day cycle for the civil year. The Aztec sun stone is 12 feet in diameter and shows both calendars. It is one of the most famous sculptures from the Aztec Empire. Montezumaruled the Aztecs from about 1502–1520. He was a brutal ruler, and his reign was known for continuous warfare. The Aztecs worshipped many gods, including Huitzilopochtli. He was the Aztec's primary god, and the god of the sun and of war. Hernán Cortés, along with 500 Spaniards, arrived in Mesoamericain 1519 and found the region rich in gold. He captured Montezuma and forced him to pledge allegiance to the king of Spain. Cacao beans were used as currency in the Aztec Empire. Nahuatlwas the native language of the Aztecs. Dialects of it are still spoken in rural areas of Mexico. The words avocado, chocolate, and tomato are derived from Nahuatl.

Time Tangled Island: Viking Explorers Factropica Fast Facts and quizzes: Viking Explorer Quiz! Factropica Fast Facts Vikings lived in Scandinavia, which is present day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The Vikings were the best shipbuilders and sailors of their time. If the direction of land was unknown, Viking sailors would release a raven into the air and follow its course. Viking warriors were buried with their weapons, but not their armor. Viking women could get divorced, own property, control their wealth, and join or lead raiding parties. Vikings used runes, a complicated system of symbols, to write their language. Each rune represented a different goddess or god. Vikings believed Valkyries, female warriors, watched over battles and decided who would die. Vikings believed their dead went to Valhalla, the banquet hall of the god Odinin Asgard. Leif Ericssonwas the first European discoverer of North America, c. 1000. The last attempt by the Vikings to establish a colony in North America occurred around 1013 A.D.