A. It is nearly 25,000 miles in circumference, and 8,000 in diameter.*

108. What is meant by the circumference of the earth? The distance round it.

109. What is meant by the diameter of the earth?

The distance across or through the centre of it.

110. If you were to run a thread round the outside of an apple, the length of it would be the extent of the circumference; and if you were to cut the apple through the middle and measure it across the cut part, that would be the diameter.

Circumfere

Diameter

111. So great is the circumference of the earth, that if a man could travel without interruption from water, it would take him one thousand days, or three years, to come round to the place he started from, reckoning that he travelled twenty-five miles every day.

10

112. What are the circles of the earth?

The equator, the tropics, the polar circles, the parallels, and the meridians.

113. Are these circles alike in extent?

The equator and meridians only are of the same extent, and are called the great circles.

114. What are the other circles?

The Tropical and Polar circles, and the Parallels. These being less in extent than the former, are called small circles. 115. What is the Equator?

An imaginary great circle extending east and west round the globe, at an equal distance from each pole.

On map of the World, No. 1, the Equator is the line that passes through the middle of both hemispheres. You will find the word cquator near it.

116. What is the distance of the Equator from the Poles?

It is 90 degrees, or about 6250 miles from the North Pole, and the same distance from the South Pole.

* The exact size and figure of the earth are not yet known; further measurements on all parts of its surface are necessary to determine these points rigidly.

117. What are the Tropics?

A. Two imaginary lines encircling, the earth, parallel with the Equator.

118. Where are they placed?

At the distance of 23 degrees, or 1625 miles, north and south from the equator.

119. What are the names of the Tropics? The northern is called the Tropic

Arctic

Tropic of Cancer

Equator

Tropic of Capricorn
Antarctio

Circles.

of Cancer, and the southern the Tropic of Capricorn.

Point out on map of the World, No. 1, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. You will find them between the figures 20 and 30 that are printed on the edge of the map.

11

120. What are the Polar Circles?

Imaginary lines encircling the earth near the Poles.

121. Where are they placed?

At the distance of 23 degrees from each Pole.

122. What are their names?

The Arctic Circle is the northern polar circle, and the Antarctic Circle the southern.

Point out on map of the World, No. 1, the Arctic and Antarctic circles. They are between the figures 60 and 70, which are engraved on the edge of the map.

Parallels.

123. What are the Parallels?

Meridians.

Circles extending east and west around the earth.

124. How are they represented on the maps?

A. By lines running east and west.

125. What are the Meridians?

A. Imaginary lines extending north and south around the earth, through the poles.

126. How are they represented on the maps ?

A. By lines running north and south.

Point out on map No. 1, the Parallels and Meridians.

127. How are geographical circles divided?

A. Every circle is supposed to be divided into 360 degrees, and every degree into 60 geographical miles or minutes. 128. What is the length of a degree of a great circle?

A. Sixty-nine and a quarter common miles.

129. How will you find the number of miles in any given number of degrees?

A. By multiplying the degrees by 691.

A. It is distance from the Equator either north or south.

131. How is latitude divided?

A. Into north and south latitude. All countries situated north of the Equator, are in north latitude; and those south of it, are in south latitude.

132. How is latitude represented on maps?

A. By lines running east and west. These lines are called Parallels.

133. How is latitude numbered?

A. The numbers are marked on the margin of the maps. 134. How is latitude counted?

A. In degrees from the equator towards the poles, from 0 to 90.

135. How can yeu distinguish between north and south latitude? A. If the numbers increase from the bottom towards the

top of the Map, it is North Latitude; but if they increase from the top towards the bottom, it is South Latitude.

136. On Map of the World, No. 1, Eastern Hemisphere. In what latitude is Europe? Ans. N. Le.

137. In what latitude is Australia?

Ans. S. Le.

138. In what latitude is Africa? Ans. Partly in N. and partly in S. Le.

139. In what latitude is Asia? Ans. N. Le.

140. On the Western Hemisphere.

America? Ans. N. Le.

In what latitude is North

141. In what latitude is South America? Ans. N. Le. and S. Le. 142. What latitude have places on the Equator?

A. They have no latitude, for latitude begins on the Equator.

143. What is the litude at the Poles?

A. It is 90 degrees, which is the full extent to which latitude is carried.

144. What is the meaning of the word latitude?

A. It means breadth; it was applied long ago to distances north and south, because the world was supposed to be much less in extent in that direction than from east to west.

145. Do the degrees of latitude vary in length?

A. They are nearly all alike, being about 69 miles each. In consequence of the earth being flattened at the poles, the degrees of latitude increase slightly in extent in going either north or south; but 69 miles is a fair average of their extent.

13

LONGITUDE.

146. What is longitude?

A. It is distance east or west from an established meridian. 147. How is longitude represented on the maps?

A. By lines extending North and South.

148. How is it reckoned?

A. In degrees east and west; on our maps it is reckoned from the meridians of Greenwich and Washington.

149. How is it counted?

A. From the place of beginning, 180 degrees each way;

D

therefore the longitude of a place cannot be more than 180 degrees east or west.

150. How is it marked?

A. Generally in numbers on the top and bottom of the map, at the end of the meridians.

On map of the World, No. 1, the longitude is marked on the Equator, in consequence of a want of room at the ends of the lines; but on maps Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, &c., it is marked at the top and bottom of the maps.

151. How can you distinguish between east and west longitude? A. If the numbers increase towards the right hand, it is east longitude; but if they increase towards the left hand, it is west longitude.

152. Are the degrees of longitude of the same length as those of latitude?

A. On the Equator they are very nearly of the same length as those of latitude, but nowhere else.

153. How do they differ from those of latitude?

A. They constantly decrease as we go either north or south from the Equator towards the poles, where the meridians all meet, and longitude ceases.

14

154. What is the meaning of the word longitude?

A. It signifies length. It was used for this purpose because formerly the earth was supposed to be much longer from East to West than from North to South.

155. On some of the maps the longitude is marked on the top from Greenwich, and on the bottom from Washington, the difference being 77 degrees. The same lines serve to express the longitude of both places, and are numbered accordingly.

156. How do nations generally reckon longitude?

A. From the capital of their own country.

157. We reckon ours from the city of Washington; the English from Greenwich; the French from Paris; and the Spaniards from Madrid.

158. On the Equator a degree of longitude is 69 miles in length; at 42 degrees of latitude it is only three-fourths of that extent; at 60 degrees it is one-half; at 75 degrees one-fourth; and at the poles there is no longitude.

159. Places on the Equator have no latitude, and those on the first meridian no longitude; therefore, at the point where the first meridian crosses the Equator, there is neither latitude nor longitude.