Starter quiz
- ______ is the line of longitude at 0 degrees, from which the other lines of longitude are measured east and west.
- 'Prime Meridian' ✓
- Webcams give geographers information about ...
- the weather. ✓
- what people are doing. ✓
- the line of latitude.
- what time of day it is. ✓
-
- Earth is divided into ______ standard meridians, at intervals of 15˚.
- 12
- 24 ✓
- 36
-
- Which of these statements are correct?
- time zones to the west of the Prime Meridian are minus UTC ✓
- time zones to the east of the Prime Meridian are minus UTC
- time zones to the west of the Prime Meridian are UTC plus
- time zones to the east of the Prime Meridian are UTC plus ✓
-
- Order the time zones based on their distance from the Prime Meridian (UTC) starting with the closest.
- 1⇔+1
- 2⇔-4
- 3⇔+7
- 4⇔+8
- 5⇔-12
- Why are there 24 time zones?
- Earth takes 24 hours to rotate 15°.
- Earth takes one hour to rotate 15°. ✓
- Earth takes one hour to rotate 360°.
-
Exit quiz
- Match the key words to their definitions.
- time zone⇔a region where the same standard time is used ✓
- Antimeridian⇔the line of longitude opposite a meridian ✓
- border⇔the dividing line between two countries ✓
- Lines of longitude give our position in ______ east or west of the Prime Meridian.
- meters
- kilograms
- degrees ✓
-
- Which of these statements are true of the The International Date Line (IDL)?
- It is located at 180˚ east. ✓
- It is located at 180˚ west. ✓
- It is on the same line of longitude as the Prime Meridian.
- It is is the place where the date changes. ✓
- It is the place where a new day begins. ✓
-
- The IDL does not follow the Antimeridian exactly. There are some deviations for ...
- 'national borders' ✓
- The International Date Line (IDL) runs through which ocean?
- Pacific ✓
- Atlantic
- Indian
-
- Places to the ______ of the IDL are the first to experience a new day.
- 'west' ✓
Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- West of the Prime Meridian, you ‘lose’ four minutes for every degree of longitude, and east you ‘gain’ four minutes.
- The International Date Line is 180˚ east and 180˚ west of the Prime Meridian and is the place where the date changes.
- Meridians are the basis for the 24 time zones; many deviate from the meridian to accommodate national/state borders.
- The Antimeridian forms the basis of the International Date Line, with some deviations for national borders.
Common misconception
Children my believe that a country's time zone is fixed and cannot be changed.
Countries occasionally change their time zone for practical or political reasons. For example, in 2024, Kazakhstan moved from using two time zones to observing only one times zone across the whole country: UTC+5
Keywords
Time zone - A time zone is a region where the same standard time is used.
Antimeridian - An Antimeridian is the line of longitude opposite a meridian. The Antimeridian forms the basis of the International Date Line.
Border - A border is the dividing line between two countries.
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