Where does the equator lie and what is it, what is its duration, and why did scientists even need to come up with this imaginary line? Let's talk about all this in more detail.

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Definition of the concept

The equator is a conventional line that runs exactly through the center of our planet. Geographical latitude of the equator- 0 degrees. It serves as a reference point and allows scientists to carry out various calculations, which will be discussed below. The equator divides the globe into two absolutely equal parts.

Important! In the territories along which the equator passes, night is always equal to day, without deviation even for a split second.

The equatorial zone receives the greatest amount of ultraviolet rays. Consequently, the further a point is from the conditional line, the less heat and light it receives. That is why the highest temperatures were recorded in the area of ​​the conventional line.

Purpose

To carry out various calculations, scientists need to identify special dividers of the planet, which are the equator, parallels and meridians.

These conditional lines make it possible to determine the position of various objects, enable planes to navigate in, and ships - to.

In addition, it is this strip that allows scientists to divide 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 sciences such as geodesy or elementary geography, but also in astrology and astronomy.

The territories of fourteen states are currently located on the equator. The political map of the world is constantly changing: countries appear and disappear, their borders can expand or contract. Which 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 in kilometers is 40075 km. But the length of the Earth's equator in miles reaches 24901 miles.

As for such a concept as radius, it can be polar and equatorial. The dimensions of the first in kilometers reach 6356, and the second – 6378 km

All areas located in close proximity to this imaginary line have a warm and humid climate.

It is no coincidence that life is simply bustling in these areas. This is where the greatest concentration is concentrated variety of plant and animal species.

Equatorial forests are considered the densest in the world, and some of them are even impenetrable wilds, even taking into account all modern scientific achievements.

Precipitation in the equatorial zone is almost daily and very heavy. It is precisely because everything that is located and grows here shines with a wide variety of colors.

On the planet there is a volcano called Wolf. So, the fact is that it is currently active and, interestingly, is on both sides of the conventional line.

Attention! The average annual temperature in this zone reaches 25-30 degrees Celsius.

High temperatures all year round make the countries that are in this region an ideal holiday destination for tourists. This is especially true for popular resorts located in the Maldives, where millions of vacationers 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.

This is an amazing place, especially for... The fact is that the speed of rotation of the Earth on this conventional line reaches more than 460 meters per second.

The speed of sound reaches only 330 meters per second. Consequently, any spacecraft that are launched from here already seem to launch at supersonic speed.

We talked about the extent of the equator, what role it plays in modern human life. As many as three countries are named as part of it.

Without this conditional line, people would not be able to accurately determine the location of the island or even famous city. All planes and ships are guided by a conventional map of latitudes and parallels, where the key place is played by a line that crosses the Earth in exactly two halves.

The Congo River crosses the Earth's midline twice.

What is the equator, its characteristics

Calculate the length of the Earth's equator

Conclusion

The length of the equator is 40,075 kilometers. So that you can appreciate how huge this is, let’s compare it with the mileage of a regular passenger car. On average, a regular Nissan Juke needs three years to cover a similar distance. This line divides the planet into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It is here that the wettest regions of the planet are located, where the largest number of species of animals and plants, which we are accustomed to call exotic, are concentrated. It is here, in countries with a very warm climate, that the largest number of tourists come.

Equator

What is this anyway?

Equator- 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.

Equator The length of the equator is 40075.696 km. Along the equator, day is always equal to night.

Equator divides the globe into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
serves as the beginning of the calculation of geographic latitude (latitude of the equator - 0 degrees).

lat.Aequator - equalizer

/Yandex encyclopedia/ EQUATOR m lat. equinox, -day; a circle suspended from the axis of the world and dividing the imaginary firmament and our earth into two equal halves: northern and southern; This is the celestial equinox, and this is the terrestrial equinox, under which days and nights are always equal, and the latitude of the place is zero. sit on

equator

Equator, be penniless. Equatorial, equatorial, equinoctial. / Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language by Vladimir Dahl/, an imaginary circle on the earth's surface, located at an equal distance from both poles and dividing the globe into two equal hemispheres. Circumference of the earth E. = 5400 geog. miles = 4070 km, diameter = 12756 km. Heavenly equator.- a great circle of the celestial sphere, the plane of which is perpendicular to the line connecting the poles of the sphere and parallel to the plane of the earth equator

.

Equator
For the inhabitants of the earth equator celestial equator passes through the zenith./Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron/(late Lat. aequator, from Lat. aequo - make equal) geographical, terrestrial, large circle of the globe, all points of which are 90 degrees from the Earth’s poles Equatorgr/Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron/; line of section of the earth's surface by a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the earth and passing through its center. Circumference equator celestial equator equator40,075.696 km.divides the globe into two hemispheres - Northern and Southern. From

To the north and south, geographical latitudes are counted from 0 to 90

Equator- the main attraction of Ecuador, which is named after this imaginary line that divides the surface of the globe into the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. The main landmark stretch is located north of the capital Quito in the town of San Antonio de Pichincha. Here everything works so that a person can realize the greatness of the moment - this is zero latitude, or, as the Incas said, Intinyan. This name, according to some sources, is translated as “road of the sun,” and some translate it as “station of the sun.” But as it turned out, there is more than one or even two sites near the sun, and each has its own supporters.

Three hundred meters from the first, main place of designation of the equator - the Middle of the World, there is a museum where another line runs. As the owner of the Intignan Museum, Fabian Veira, says, he has concrete evidence that his line is more accurately defined. He places a portable sink along the equator line No. 2, pours out a bucket of water and throws in a few leaves for clarity. The water goes vertically downwards without forming a funnel. Fabian then moves the shell to the right of his equator line, into the Southern Hemisphere and repeats the action. Leaves in the Southern Hemisphere begin to curl clockwise. Independent experiments can be carried out on a stone - an equator indicator, where a nail is driven in. Fabian gives a raw egg and suggests installing it on the head of a nail. The egg doesn't fall. This is how easy it is to make tourists believe in your theory! Fabian explains this by the fact that at the equator the mutual destruction of the forces of inertia of Cariolis occurs and the earth's gravitational forces decrease. This balances the egg so that it rests easily on the nail head. But Fabian does not let up and invites tourists to walk along the equator with their eyes closed. The force of gravity will pull you either to the Southern or to the Northern Hemisphere. And also - on the equator line you will weigh one kilogram less!

Cristobal Cobo, director of the Kitsato scientific project to study the modern, real equator, claims that there is a real, scientifically based equator line that was drawn not so long ago.
Cristobal Cobo:“Experiments with the egg, shell and water are all tricks for tourists. There are modern instruments that indicate that the real equatorial line now lies here - where it is drawn according to the latest scientific data."

In the center of the Kitsato project you can check everything yourself: stand on a freshly painted line and turn on JPS. The system shows that the zero parallel is exactly where you are standing - a few kilometers from the first two lines. Cristobal explains this by saying that over time the poles shift, followed by the equator. This is a natural process of change and development of the planet. Everyone has the right to choose their own middle of the world.

The only thing that remains unchanged here is that throughout the entire country the sun rises and sets at the same time all year round. Here day is equal to night, and at noon objects never cast a shadow. And there are no seasons as such in Ecuador. And this is only possible at the equator. The equator occupies only five percent of the landmass. But there is a very rich flora and fauna here.

Ecuador has 11 National Parks, 9 nature reserves, 4 biological reserves, 1 geobotanical reserve and 10 protected natural areas.
El Cajas National Park in the province of Azuay. It was founded in 1996 in the west of the country and has an area of ​​285.4 square kilometers. Translated from Spanish as “gate to the mountains.” Here you can see about 300 fantastic mountain lakes, lagoons and waterfalls. You need to drive carefully - alpacas (llamas) periodically jump onto the road. Lama wool makes very warm sweaters that protect well from mountain winds. The higher you go in the mountains, the more dizzy you become from lack of oxygen. It gets cold and very windy. The temperature at an altitude of 4000 meters drops to +4 degrees.

The highest point of Ecuador - extinct Chimborazo volcano(Spanish: Chimborazo). Its height is 6267 meters, according to some sources - 6310 m. Once upon a time, until the beginning of the 19th century, the Chimborazo volcano was considered the highest peak on Earth. Now it cannot be compared with the highest Himalayan peaks, but still the Chimborazo volcano is the most distant point on the surface from the center of the Earth.

The material is partially taken from the program: “My planet. With Anastasia Chernobrovina"
Photo: Len Langevin, Delphine Ménard, and also from the Internet. For questions regarding authorship, please contact the company office

Ecuador: upcoming tours

The equator is an imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and acts as the starting point for geographic latitude. Countries located closest to the equator are distinguished by a hot, equatorial climate, the peculiarity of which is the absence of pronounced seasonal temperature changes; in such countries, the temperature is approximately the same all year round, +25 - +30 degrees.

Are there many countries through which the equator line passes? Let's count together.

In our understanding, the equator must pass through the land territory of the country; territorial waters do not apply to this. That is, we need countries where we can stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern.

1. Sao Tome and Principe.

A small island state off the coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. One of the tiny islands of this country - Rolas (port. Ilhéu das Rolas) is crossed by the equator. At the intersection there is a stele indicating the unusual position of the island, and there is also a bar and a hotel.

2. Gabon.

Elephants cross the equator line:) Gabon

Despite the fact that the equator divides the country almost in half, Gabon makes little use of this feature to attract tourists. There is not a single populated area on the equator. On the numerous roads crossing the equator, you won’t even see any post or sign notifying you that you are already in the other hemisphere.

3. Republic of the Congo.

The equator crosses the country in a sparsely populated area amidst dense jungle. As in Gabon, you will not find any information on the roads that cross the equator. Only in the small town of Makua, located precisely on the equator, there is a small frame of a globe on a dilapidated pedestal, from which one can guess that the equator passes here.

4. Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Not far from the border with the Republic of Congo, on the outskirts of the city of Mbandaka, there is a commemorative plaque, as well as in a couple of other places where major transport arteries (rivers or roads) cross the equator.

5. Uganda.

In the town of Cayabu, near Lake Victoria, there is a popular tourist complex in the form of two rings, where the equator line is indicated.

6. Kenya.

Tourism in this country is relatively well developed. That is why in Kenya, unlike other African countries, the fact of crossing the equator is very actively publicized. For example, in the city of Maseno, in the west of the country, there is a stele on the side of the road notifying that you have crossed the equator, and 200 meters to the east, right on the equator, there is a tourist complex with hotels and hostels. There is also a sign on the Nakuru - Eldoret highway and other busy roads.

An interesting fact: in the village of Nyang'oma-Kogelo, 100 meters from the equator, there is a school named after the senator and former US President Barack Obama. In addition, the house of Obama's father's second wife is located in the same village.

7. Somalia.

The equator line runs through southern Somalia. But the country is immersed in its own problems: hunger, poverty, civil war and an unstable political situation. Therefore, there is no time for tourism in Somalia. There is not a single stele or even sign in the country that you are crossing the equator.

Indonesia is a country in southeast Asia, located on several hundred islands. The equator crosses the three largest islands: Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, as well as about ten smaller ones.

Along the entire line of the equator there are sculptures in the form of a globe indicating the direction of the equator.

9. Ecuador.

The name of the country itself comes from the word equator. 20 km north of the country's capital Quito, in San Antonio there is one of the most famous monuments along the entire equator line - “The Middle of the World”.

In addition, Ecuador has the highest point of the equator (4690 m), which is located on the southern slope of the Cayambe volcano, and only in this place on the equator can snow cover be observed. Another interesting fact is that in the Galapagos Islands (belonging to Ecuador), the equator passes directly through the active Wolf Volcano, which erupted on May 25, 2015.

10. Colombia.

The equator passes through the south of the country, where the impenetrable Amazon jungle is located. Tourists rarely set foot in these places. There is no infrastructure.

11. Brazil.

In Brazil, the equator line runs through the north of the country, in the west it goes through impassable jungle. In the municipality of Rorainópolis, the equator crosses the highway; a memorial with an indicator of the direction of the equator in the form of a hockey stick has been erected at this place. In addition, the city of Macapa in the Amazon Delta is located simultaneously in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In this city there is the Zeran stadium, crossed by the equator line almost along the center line of the field. Nearby is Marco Zero - a “monument” to the equator. From Marco Zero east almost to the Amazon coast, “Equatorial Street” (port. Avenida Equatorial) runs along the equator. Also interesting is the fact that the delta of the world's deepest river, the Amazon, is located precisely on the equator.

In total, we counted 11 countries through which the equator line passes. In some countries they are very proud of this fact and elevate it to the status of a national treasure, while others do not even react to it. In any case, crossing the equator line is a big event for a tourist, and this fact remains in the memory for a long time.

For most of us equator is nothing more than a symbolic line drawn on a map and denoting zero latitude. However, there are lucky ones who managed to see this very line drawn along the ground. The real center of the world is in an Ecuadorian city Mitta del Mundo(translated from Spanish literally as “the middle of the world”), here it is literally a stone’s throw from the northern hemisphere to the southern.

The very name of the Republic of Ecuador translated from Spanish means “equator,” so the consonance is not accidental. The city of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is indeed located on the equator, and the yellow line itself is in the “city” of Mitta del Mundo (it is located 15 km from Quito). Mitta del Mundo is actually more of a tourist center; no one lives here, but there are plenty of things to do for travelers.

The symbolic yellow line appeared in Mitta del Mundo after the French geodetic expedition of Charles Marie de La Condamine in 1736. This enthusiastic scientist explored Ecuador for 10 years, trying to find evidence that our planet is not perfectly flat, and at the same time to find the equator. And he succeeded, he found a point in the sky where the sun was at its zenith.

In 1936, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the expedition, the first monument in honor of the French Academy of Sciences appeared in Ecuador. And in 1979, Mitta del Mundo was turned into a tourist complex; the famous 30-meter tower topped with a globe was installed here, which does not cast a shadow on the days of the spring and autumn solstice. Along the alley leading to the monument, you can see busts of all members of the expedition.

In addition to the tower, there are other attractions in Mitta del Mundo: a church in which newlyweds can get married while in different hemispheres, and an ethnographic museum, the exhibitions of which are dedicated to the peoples inhabiting Ecuador. About one and a half million tourists come to Mitta del Mundo every year. Despite the fact that the latest GPS studies have proven that the equator is actually located 240 meters north of the indicated yellow line, the Ecuadorian authorities decided not to move the monument, and, apparently, satisfied tourists are not too upset by this discrepancy.