The location and the extent :

• While describing the location of a place, only one parallel and one meridian is considered.
• While describing the extent of a region. two parallels and two meridians at the extreme ends of the region are considered.
• While describing the extent of linear features like a river, road, etc. the latitudes and longitudes of their terminal points are considered.

Important parallels and meridians :

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• Tropic of Cancer : The parallel at 23°30' N of equator is called the Tropic of Cancer.
• Tropic of Capricorn : The parallel at 23°30' S of equator is called the Tropic of Capricorn.
• Arctic Circle : The parallel at 66°30‘ N of equator is called the Arctic Circle
• Antarctic Circle : The parallel at 66°30‘ S of equator is called the Antarctic Circle
• North Pole : The parallel at 90° N of equator is called the North Pole
• South Pole : The parallel 90° S of equator is called the South Pole

Temperature zones and pressure belts :

• Due to the duration and intensity of sunlight, different temprature zones are formed on the earth.
• Temperature zones give rise to pressure belts.

Diversity in plant and animal life :

• Variation in the intensity of sunlight (temperature Zones) leads to regional diversity in plant and animal life.

Greenwich Meridian :

• The 0° longitude or Prime Meridian helps to fix the global Standard time and coordinate the standard times of different countries.
• This meridian is also known as Greenwich Meridian.

The International Date Line :

• The International Date Line is marked with reference to 180° meridian.

Great Circles :

• The equator as well as all pairs of opposite meridian form Great Circles.
• Great Circles are used for finding the minimum distance between any two places on the surface of the earth.

Q. By how many degrees is the earth’s axis inclined?

Q. In which region can the sun's rays be perpendicular on two days in a year?