How can I find my seat?
The class teacher decides to re-arrange the seats today.
She gives each student a card (Figure 3.1). Students have
to find the seats by themselves.
E1
William
G3
Kelly
A4
Alex
A1
Sara
H3
Steven
Figure 3.1
1
According to the information in Figure 3.1, mark the
names of the students on the seating plan (Figure 3.2).
2
What is the purpose of the letters and numbers in
Figure 3.2?
5
4
Windows
Windows
3
2
1
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
Teacher's
desk
Blackboard
Figure 3.2
16
A plan of William’s classroom
Door
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Chapter 3
Describing locations using grids on maps
To learn map reading skills, it is necessary to know how to
use grid systems. The ‘chapter interest’ shows a letternumber grid system. We use this type of system when we
buy a ticket to see a movie or attend a concert (Figure 3.3).
Many atlases use the same system to help us find a place
easily.
• Grid squares and grid lines
Grid squares are formed by vertical and horizontal lines
called grid lines. Each grid line has a two-digit number
(Figure 3.4). Vertical grid lines are counted from the west to
the east, and are called eastings. Horizontal grid lines are
counted from the south to the north, and are called northings.
Figure3.3 Tickets usually use a
letter-number grid system to indicate
our seats
Skills
How can we use grid squares?
To read a grid square, we must read the
easting first, and then the northing.
Therefore, each grid square carries a
four-digit number.
1
What are the grid squares of the
following objects?
(a) Happy School
(b) Church
(c) Healthy Village
2
What can you find in the following grid
squares?
(a) 1043
(b) 1242
(c) 1140
The grid square of
the fire station is 1140.
Figure 3.4
17
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17
Part one
t
ink abou
Th
In Figure 3.4, both the police station and fire station are found in grid square 1140. How can
we tell the exact location of each of them?
• Grid references
Grid references help us describe the exact location of an object. A grid reference carries six
digits, three for the easting and three for the northing. To obtain the third and the sixth digits,
it is necessary to divide the area between two grid lines into 10 equal parts.
Skills
How can we read grid references?
To read the grid reference on 1: 20 000
maps, the simple tool in Figure 3.5 can
help.
Take a piece of transparency.
Draw a large square of 5 cm ⫻ 5 cm
on the transparency.
To find the grid reference of the
church near Luen Wo Hui, we can place
the simple tool on the map (Figure 3.6).
The church is located to the right of the
eighth line from 05, and above the
eighth line from 90. Therefore, its grid
reference is 058908.
Draw vertical lines and horizontal
lines 5 mm apart, in the large square.
91
Use a piece of cardboard to make
a frame.
Cardboard
Transparency
90
05
06
5 mm
5 mm
Figure 3.5 A simple tool to
measure grid reference
18
KEY
Police station
Temple
Church
Fire station
Post office
Sheet No. 3 1:20 000
Figure 3.6
A map of Fanling
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Chapter 3
1
What are the grid references of the following objects?
(a) police station
2
(b)
fire station
(c)
post office
What can you find at the following grid references?
(a) 054901
(b) 058905
(c)
053907
Describing locations with latitudes and
longitudes
We can see lines on a globe (Figure 3.7). On
maps they are shown as horizontal lines
called latitudes, and vertical lines called
longitudes. These lines form grids, helping
us to locate places on world maps or smallscale maps.
• Latitude
The lines of latitude have readings from 0°
to 90°. The Equator is the 0° latitude (Figure
3.8). The latitudes to its north and its
south will have a label N or S. For
example, the latitude of Tokyo is
35°N. Melbourne is at 37°S.
The Equator is the longest
latitude. All other latitudes run
parallel to the Equator. They get
shorter and shorter towards the
poles. Finally, 90°N and 90°S
become two points, called the
North Pole and the South Pole.
Figure 3.7
A globe
1
66 °N (Arctic Circle)
2
Tokyo
1
23 °N (Tropic of Cancer)
2
0° (Equator)
23
Melbourne
66
1
°S (Tropic of Capricon)
2
1
°S (Antarctic Circle)
2
Figure 3.8
Latitudes on a globe
19
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19
Part one
• Longitude
180°
150°W
All the lines of longitude pass through the North
Pole and the South Pole. They have readings from
0° to 180° (Figure 3.9). The 0° longitude passes
through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich in
London. It is called the Prime Meridian. The
longitudes to its east and its west will have a
label E or W. For example, the longitude of
Toronto is 79°W, and Cairo is 31°E. The
longitudes extend to 180°E and 180°W, which
denote the same line.
150°E
North
Pole
120°W
120°E
Toronto
London
90°W
90°E
Cairo
60°W
60°E
30°W
0°
30°E
Prime Meridian
Figure 3.9
Longitudes on a globe
t
ore abou
*M
Hemispheres
The Equator divides the earth into two halves. The northern half is called the Northern Hemisphere.
The southern half is called the Southern Hemisphere.
The Prime Meridian also divides the earth into two halves. The area with longitudes labelled E
is the Eastern Hemisphere. The area with longitudes labelled W is the Western Hemisphere.
Skills
Finding places with an atlas
Look at the index pages at the end of an atlas. The names of places are arranged in
alphabetical order. There is information such as the page from which you can find the
place, its latitude and longitude, etc (Figure 3.10).
Figure 3.10
20
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Chapter 3
Refer to Figure 3.11.
1
Where is China? Where is the Hong Kong SAR? With the help of your atlas, mark their
locations in Figure 3.11.
Figure 3.11
2
A world map with latitudes and longitudes
With the help of your atlas, complete Figure 3.12.
Place
Shanghai
Continent
Asia
Latitude
31.15°N
Longitude
121.26°E
Hong Kong
Sydney
London
New York
- Paulo
Sao
Cape Town
Frankfurt
Figure 3.12
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21
Part one
t
ore abou
*M
Continents and oceans
There are seven continents and four oceans in the world (Figure 3.11). Asia is the largest
continent and the Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean. China is located in East Asia, to the west of
the Pacific Ocean. The Hong Kong SAR is on the southeastern coast of China.
Key words
grid system (
!)
North Pole ( )
grid square (
)
South Pole ( )
grid line (
easting (
Prime Meridian ( !" )
)
*Northern Hemisphere ( )
)
northing (
*Southern Hemisphere (
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grid reference (
!)
*Eastern Hemisphere (
)
)
latitude ( )
*Western Hemisphere ( )
longitude ( )
*continent ( )
Equator ( )
*ocean ( )
Key points
1 We use grid systems to describe the locations of objects on maps.
2 Grid squares are formed by grid lines called eastings and northings. Each grid square
carries a four-digit number. To read a grid square, we must read the easting first, and
then the northing.
3 Grid references help us describe the exact location of an object. A grid reference carries
six digits. To obtain the third and the sixth digits, it is necessary to divide the area
between two grid lines into 10 equal parts.
4 On world maps or small-scale maps, the location of a place is shown by latitudes and
longitudes.
*5 The Equator divides the earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Prime
Meridian divides the earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
6 The index of an atlas is a useful tool for finding the locations of places.
*7 There are seven continents and four oceans in the world.
22
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