B. People and Environments · Global Communities

The Equator, the Poles and Directions

B3.2 B3.3 B2About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can find the equator, the North Pole and the South Pole on a globe or map.
I can tell if a place is in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
I can use north, south, east and west to describe where places are on a map.

Words to know

equator
An imaginary line around the middle of Earth, halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole.

North Pole
The point farthest north on Earth. It is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.

South Pole
The point farthest south on Earth. It is on the continent of Antarctica.

hemisphere
Half of Earth. The equator splits Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

cardinal directions
The four main directions: north, south, east and west.

imaginary line
A line drawn on maps and globes to help us find places. It is not really on the ground.

The top, the bottom and the middle

Spin a globe. Notice how it turns around a stick (called an axis) that pokes out at the top and the bottom.

The very top point is the North Pole.
The very bottom point is the South Pole.
Around the middle is a line called the equator. It is exactly halfway between the two poles.

A polar bear walking across snowy sea ice beside a pool of blue water, with a low sun on the horizon. — Polar bears live in the Arctic, the cold area around the North Pole. They hunt on the sea ice that covers the Arctic Ocean. AI-generated image

The equator splits Earth into the Northern Hemisphere (top half) and the Southern Hemisphere (bottom half).

Is the equator real?

If you went to the equator, you would not see a line on the ground! The equator is an imaginary line. People draw it on maps and globes to help find places.

The country of Ecuador in South America is named after the equator. Ecuador is the Spanish word for equator, and the equator goes right through that country.

Two halves

The equator cuts Earth into two halves. Each half is a hemisphere (hemi means half, sphere means ball).

Everything north of the equator is in the Northern Hemisphere. Canada is here, far north of the equator.
Everything south of the equator is in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia and Antarctica are here.

	North Pole	South Pole
Where is it?	in the middle of the Arctic Ocean	on the continent of Antarctica
Land or water?	no land: frozen sea ice floating on the ocean	land covered by thick ice
Near Canada?	fairly near: Canada's Arctic islands are some of the closest land to it	no: it is very far from Canada

The two poles are both cold and icy, but they are different

North, south, east and west

The four cardinal directions help us say where places are.

North is always toward the North Pole.
South is always toward the South Pole.
If you face north, east is on your right and west is on your left.

On most maps, north is at the top. Look for the compass rose to be sure. Sometimes it shows only an arrow with the letter N.

Remember the order

Go around the compass rose clockwise, starting at the top: Never Eat Soggy Waffles = North, East, South, West.

Another clue: the Sun rises in the east in the morning and sets in the west in the evening.

Funny but true

If you stood exactly on the North Pole, every direction you could walk would be south! Even if you turned around and around.

A world map with the equator (dashed line) and a compass rose. North is at the top.

Worked example

Let's use directions on the world map

Use the map and compass rose to answer:

Is Canada north or south of the equator?
Which ocean is west of North America?
Which continent is south of Europe?

Find the dashed line. That is the equator. Canada's dot is above it. Up is north, so Canada is north of the equator.
Put your finger on North America and move it to the left, toward the W. You reach the Pacific Ocean.
Put your finger on Europe and move it down, toward the S. Across a small sea you reach Africa.

North (Canada is in the Northern Hemisphere). 2. The Pacific Ocean. 3. Africa.

Worked example

Which hemisphere?

Is each place in the Northern or the Southern Hemisphere? Canada, Australia, Antarctica, Europe.

Find each place on the map and check: is it above or below the dashed equator?
Canada and Europe are above the equator.
Australia and Antarctica are below the equator.

Northern: Canada, Europe. Southern: Australia, Antarctica.

Hands-on activity

Make a compass rose at home

You need: 4 sticky notes (or paper and tape), a pencil, and a sunny morning or evening.

In the morning, look out a window where the Sun is rising. That side of your home is east. (Never look straight at the Sun. It can hurt your eyes.) Put an E sticky note on that wall.
The opposite wall is west. Put a W there. (In the evening, the Sun will set on that side.)
Stand facing east. Your left hand points north and your right hand points south. Add N and S notes.
Play "Simon says": a grown-up calls "Face north! Take two steps west!" and you follow.

Bonus: A grown-up can open the compass app on a phone to check your work.

Globe fun: Use a ball and a piece of string or an elastic band to show the equator around the middle. Mark the North and South Poles with stickers.

Your turn

What is the name of the imaginary line around the middle of Earth?

Is the North Pole on land or on frozen ocean?

Which continent is the South Pole on?

Is Canada in the Northern or the Southern Hemisphere?

Name the four cardinal directions.

On most maps, which direction is at the top?

If you face north, which direction is on your right?

More practice: warm-up

What does hemisphere mean?

Which pole is closer to Canada: the North Pole or the South Pole?

Can you see the equator painted on the ground? Why or why not?

What is the letter on a compass rose for west?

The Sun rises in the ______.

More practice: on your own

Which country in South America is named after the equator?

Look at the world map. Which ocean is east of North America?

Is Antarctica north or south of Australia?

Look at the world map. The equator crosses two of these continents. Which two? North America, Africa, South America, Europe.

If you face south, which direction is behind you?

Challenge

A friend says, "The North Pole and the South Pole are both on land." Is that true? Explain.

You are on a ship near the equator. You sail north for a very long time. Which pole are you getting closer to? Which ocean might you end up in?

Your map has no compass rose. What could you guess about which way is north? How could you check?

Check your understanding

Quiz

The equator is...

Canada is in the...

The South Pole is on...

On most maps, which direction is at the top?

Which ocean is west of North America?

If you face north, what is on your left?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The equator is an imaginary line halfway between the North and South Poles. It divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The cardinal directions (north, east, south, west) let us describe where places are; most maps put north at the top.

How to help at home:

Find east and west at home using sunrise and sunset, then label the walls. Use the words often: "The park is north of our house."
On a globe or map, play "I spy": "I spy a continent south of Europe." (Africa)
Use a ball and a string to show the equator and poles.

Common difficulties:

Thinking north means "up in the sky". North is a direction along the ground, toward the North Pole. On a map hung on a wall, north is at the top only because of how we draw maps.
Mixing up east and west. "Never Eat Soggy Waffles", going clockwise from the top, helps. Have your child trace the compass rose with a finger while saying the words.
Believing the North Pole is on land. It is sea ice over the Arctic Ocean; the South Pole is on Antarctica.