Prime meridian

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/prime-meridian

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the arbitrary definition?The Prime Meridian is an arbitrarily chosen line of longitude at 0°
2. What is the historical standard?The Greenwich Meridian was the historical international standard, adopted in 1884
3. Why did people pick the Greenwich line in 1884?Many ships were already using it, so choosing it made navigation and maps easier for everyone.
4. How does the Prime Meridian help us find places?It gives a starting point for measuring how far east or west a spot is, so we can pinpoint any location on Earth.

Longitude: The angular distance measured east or west from the Prime Meridian, crucial for global positioning.
Prograde/Retrograde Rotation: Describes the direction of a celestial body's rotation relative to its orbital direction.