Hemispheres

On the flat map, the Northern Hemisphere is shown in yellow. The globe view shows you the Northern Hemisphere from looking down at the North Pole.

On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and about 70-75% of the population.

The continents in the Northern Hemisphere are - North America, Europe, most of Asia, about two-thirds of Africa and a small part of South America.

Winter in much of the Northern Hemisphere is from December to February. Summer is from June to August. Winter starts earlier and lasts longer the closer you go to the North Pole. The closer you go to the Equator, the warmer the weather. Some places don't really have a winter.

This globe view shows you the Southern Hemisphere looking up from the South Pole. Professor Nibble is a real time-saver, so look back at the flat map of the Northern Hemisphere. The white section below the yellow is the flat view of the Southern Hemisphere.

The Southern Hemisphere contains five continents - Antarctica, Australia, most of South America, and parts of Africa and Asia. There are four oceans in the Southern Hemisphere - Pacific, Southern, Indian and Atlantic.

Summer is from December to February and winter is from June to August. Climates in the Southern Hemisphere tend to be slightly warmer than in the Northern Hemisphere. This is because the Southern Hemisphere has a lot less land and more ocean. Water heats up and cools down more slowly than land. The closer you get to the South Pole, the colder the climate. The closer you get to the Equator, the warmer the climate.

Moving on, here is what the Western Hemisphere or the western half of the earth looks like.

Remember, the yellow part of the flat map is the Western Hemisphere.

The continents in the Western Hemisphere are - North America, South America, part of Antarctica, and a small part of Africa, Europe and Asia. Some geographers don't include Africa, Europe and Asia in the Western Hemisphere. This is because most of these continents are in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is easier just to say they are in the east.

Finally, let's look at the Eastern Hemisphere or the eastern half of the earth.


	Let's look at some pictures to help us understand the hemispheres. You know what they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Here is the Northern Hemisphere, or the northern half of the earth shown in two ways:

	On the flat map, the Northern Hemisphere is shown in yellow. The globe view shows you the Northern Hemisphere from looking down at the North Pole. On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and about 70-75% of the population. The continents in the Northern Hemisphere are - North America, Europe, most of Asia, about two-thirds of Africa and a small part of South America. Winter in much of the Northern Hemisphere is from December to February. Summer is from June to August. Winter starts earlier and lasts longer the closer you go to the North Pole. The closer you go to the Equator, the warmer the weather. Some places don't really have a winter.
	Now let's look at the opposite side - the Southern Hemisphere or the southern half of the earth.
	This globe view shows you the Southern Hemisphere looking up from the South Pole. Professor Nibble is a real time-saver, so look back at the flat map of the Northern Hemisphere. The white section below the yellow is the flat view of the Southern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere contains five continents - Antarctica, Australia, most of South America, and parts of Africa and Asia. There are four oceans in the Southern Hemisphere - Pacific, Southern, Indian and Atlantic. Summer is from December to February and winter is from June to August. Climates in the Southern Hemisphere tend to be slightly warmer than in the Northern Hemisphere. This is because the Southern Hemisphere has a lot less land and more ocean. Water heats up and cools down more slowly than land. The closer you get to the South Pole, the colder the climate. The closer you get to the Equator, the warmer the climate.
	Moving on, here is what the Western Hemisphere or the western half of the earth looks like.

	Remember, the yellow part of the flat map is the Western Hemisphere. The continents in the Western Hemisphere are - North America, South America, part of Antarctica, and a small part of Africa, Europe and Asia. Some geographers don't include Africa, Europe and Asia in the Western Hemisphere. This is because most of these continents are in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is easier just to say they are in the east. Finally, let's look at the Eastern Hemisphere or the eastern half of the earth.

	The continents in the Eastern Hemisphere are - Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and most of Antarctica. As far as the Western and Eastern Hemispheres go, lets make it simple and look at things this way: Western Hemisphere - North America, South America, part of Antarctica Eastern Hemisphere - Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, part of Antarctica Now we have a way to find locations on the earth. We can answer a lot of questions using the maps we have already looked at.


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