Which equator crosses the continents?

The planet Earth is covered by a network of conditional lines of blue color. This can be seen on any of the physical maps. Equator - one of these lines. At any point on this line, the sun twice a year is at its zenith. The equator crosses continents, oceans and seas, islands and large rivers. It has several large cities. In more detail, the geography of the main parallel of the planet will be considered in this article.

What is the Equator?

What continents crosses the equator? To answer this question, you need a physical map of the world. Yes, and in general, we will understand, what kind of line is this - the equator?

The term itself comes from the Latin word aequator, which means "equalize", "equalize". This line is carried out though conditionally, but not without reason. Figuratively speaking, the equator borders a plane that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the Earth and passes through its center.

Twice a year at noon (March 20 and September 22) the sun is above the equator at the zenith. That is, the heavenly body was just above your head. These days the objects here do not cast a shadow.

Which equator crosses continents, oceans and countries?

The equator is the main and longest parallel of our planet, the latitude of which is 0 degrees. Its exact length is 40075.7 km.

Zero parallel of the Earth crosses different countries and seas, continents and oceans. Crossing the equator continents are traditionally considered to be "southern". There are only two of them - South America and Africa. The equator line also runs along the water surface of three oceans of the planet: the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific. In the Indian and Pacific oceans, it crosses a number of large and small islands.

It should be noted that the equator crosses the continents in different ways. So, South America, it "cuts" in its northern part. But the equator divides Africa almost in half. And this fact reflected on the nature of the "black continent". The main natural areas of Africa are mirrored in relation to the main parallel of the Earth.

If you look at this map of the planet, you can look in detail which continents cross the equator (its line is shown in red).

Equator also passes through the territory of twelve independent states. In addition, the line crosses the economic zone of Kiribati, as well as the Baker Islands, owned by the United States.

Equator as a cultural attraction

In many countries, in places where the zero parallel passes, the corresponding signs and monuments are built. So, grandiose monuments are in Indonesia, Brazil and Ecuador. Memorial plates have been installed in Kenya, Gabon and the Congo.

The most interesting and visited by tourists monument from this series is in Ecuador, near the city of Kyoto. This is a monument called "The Middle of the World", which was built in the early 80's. Its height is 30 meters. The monument is made of iron and concrete, and its top is crowned with a huge five-ton ball.

Near the monument there is all the necessary tourist infrastructure: a museum, a cafe and souvenir shops. From the monument directly on the ground a line is drawn that divides the planet into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. A compulsory ritual of every tourist who has visited here is to be photographed so that the legs stand in different hemispheres of the planet.

True, few of the travelers know that the true line of the equator passes in 240 meters from the popular sights. It's all a mistake, which the builders of the monument allowed almost forty years ago.

Conclusion

The equator crosses the continents (Africa and South America), the oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Indian), as well as a number of islands. In many countries of the world places where the main parallel of the Earth passes are marked by memorable signs, tablets or real monuments.