Many maps and some globes have a direction indicator, or compass rose. A compass rose always shows one or more of the cardinal directions. A picture of a compass rose is shown below. Draw a compass rose on your globe where the Prime Meridian and Equator cross.
If you wish to travel true or absolute north or south you must travel along a line of longitude. This line of longitude is called a meridian. There are many meridians. Your globe shows only a few of them. The same is true about moving east and west. To travel due, or true, east or west you must travel along a line of latitude. A line of latitude is called a parallel. Your globe shows only a few parallels. Sometimes you must find directions that are between the cardinal directions. Let's use two examples.
1. Find Mexico City, in Mexico. Draw a straight line arrow from this city to New York City. This arrow points between what two cardinal directions?
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2. Find San Francisco, California. Use your Horizon Ring to draw a straight line to Hawaii. This arrow points between what two cardinal directions?
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*NOTE* Remember how to draw a straight line on a globe? Put your thumbs on each city. Turn the globe until your thumbs touch the Horizon ring. Draw a line between these two points.
When you are traveling in directions between north, south, east or west, you are traveling in an intermediate direction. When you drew an arrow from San Francisco to Hawaii, the arrow pointed both south and west. This direction is called southwest. When you drew and arrow from Mexico City to New York City, the arrow pointed north and east - or northeast.
When you name intermediate directions, you use north and south with either east or west to make one word. When describing an intermediate direction you always place north or south in front of east or west. You would NOT say that Hawaii is eastsouth of San Francisco. New York is NOT westnorth of Mexico City.
There are four intermediate directions, northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest.
The picture below shows a compass rose with the intermediate direction labeled.
Intermediate Directions on the Globe
Use your globe and the Horizon Ring to draw a straight line between the cities mentioned. Write in the correct intermediate direction.
3. Mexico City is in a _________________________ direction from Bogota, Colombia (South America).
4. Kuwait (Arabian Peninsula) is in a ___________________ direction from the city of Moscow, Russia.
5. Anchorage, Alaska is in a ____________________ direction from Vancouver, Canada.
6. Sydney, Australia is in a _____________________________direction of Honolulu, Hawaii.
7. Find and circle Moscow, Russia. Draw a line that travels southeast of this city. If you traveled along this line, what large nation would you reach on the Indian Ocean?
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8. Find and circle Melbourne, Australia. Draw a line that travels southeast of this city. If you traveled along this line, what large nation would you first reach?
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9. Find and circle, Madrid, Spain. Draw a line that runs southwest from this city. If you travel away from Madrid on this line, what continent do you reach?
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