Hemispheres of Earth

In geography and cartography, hemispheres of Earth are any division of the globe into two hemispheres (from Ancient Greek ἡμισφαίριον (hēmisphaírion) 'half of a sphere').[1]

The division of Earth by the Equator and the prime meridian
Map roughly depicting the Eastern and Western hemispheres

Geographical Hemispheres

The primary hemispherical split geographically is made by latitudinal (north/south) and longitudinal (east-west)[2] markers:[3]

Alternative Hemispheres

The East–West division can also be seen in a cultural and religious sense, as a division into two cultural and religious hemispheres. Some geographers prefer to split the hemispheres at 20° west and 160° east so that Africa and Europe are not split.[4]

However, other schemes have sought to divide the planet in a way that maximizes the preponderance of one geographic feature or another in each division:

  • Land–Water[5]
    • Land Hemisphere, the hemisphere on Earth containing the largest possible area of land
    • Water Hemisphere, the hemisphere on Earth containing the largest possible area of water
The Land Hemisphere
The Water Hemisphere
The Land Hemisphere is at the top, and the Water Hemisphere is at the bottom.
The Land Hemisphere is at the top and the Water Hemisphere is at the bottom

Earth may also be split into hemispheres of day and night by the terrestrial terminator.

See also

References
  1. "hemisphere | Etymology, origin and meaning of hemisphere by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  2. Pulsedive. (n.d.). Hemispheres. Pulsedive. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAMQw7AJahcKEwiw3YTn2dz7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.ctfassets.net%2F2yd1b0rk61ek%2F2aYjUXUJqkfcRTEeL3iJOP%2F7a66623f7be365e0e0e310645dd0b70b%2Fgr_4_maps_Globes_and_Hemispheres.pdf&psig=AOvVaw1DMOjGH5YUPfP24IMtJmLK&ust=1670130936071579
  3. "Hemisphere". 2011-03-22.
  4. "hemisphere | National Geographic Society". education.nationalgeographic.org. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  5. Boggs, S. W. (1945). "This Hemisphere". Journal of Geography. 44 (9): 345–355. doi:10.1080/00221344508986498.

Media related to Earth's hemispheres at Wikimedia Commons

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