Hemisphere - Introduction

Any circle drawn around the Earth that divides it into two equal halves is called a hemisphere. Usually, it is considered that there are four hemispheres known as the Southern Hemisphere, Northern Hemisphere, Western Hemisphere, and Eastern Hemisphere. This article will shed light on the different hemispheres of the Earth briefly.

Apart from the four hemispheres mentioned above, the Earth can be divided into Land Hemisphere and Water Hemisphere, based on the largest possible areas of land and ocean, respectively.

Hemispheres (Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere) – Location of different Continents

• The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator.
• Europe and North America are the two continents which lie entirely in the Northern Hemisphere.
• The Southern Hemisphere is the half (hemisphere) of Earth that is south of the Equator.
• Australia and Antarctica are the two continents which lie completely in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth.
• Some continents lie in both the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere.
• The Northern Hemisphere contains the northern two-thirds of Africa and the northern part of South America.
• The Southern Hemisphere contains some Asian islands, one-third of Africa, and most of South America.

Eastern and Western Hemisphere

• The Western Hemisphere is the half of Earth which lies west of the prime meridian.
• Longitudes 20°W and 160°E are often considered its boundaries.
• Western Hemisphere is known as the “New World” in the geopolitical and cultural sense.
• The Eastern Hemisphere is the half of Earth which is east of the prime meridian.
• Eastern Hemisphere is also known as the Oriental Hemisphere.
• Some countries lie in both the Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere.
• Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Algeria are African countries which lie in both Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere.
• Some of the other countries which have territories in both the Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere are Russia, England, the USA, Norway, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Denmark.

Prime Meridian

• The Prime Meridian is called the Greenwich Meridian because it runs through a place named Greenwich in England.
• The 0° line of longitude starts at the Prime Meridian.
• The longitudes are imaginary north-south lines.
• The starting point to measure longitude is the Prime Meridian.
• The 180 degrees longitude is exactly opposite to the Prime Meridian.

Northern Hemisphere – Location of India

India is located in the Northern Hemisphere of the world.

• India lies to the north of the Equator, between 6° 44′ and 35° 30′ north latitude and 68° 7′ and 97° 25′ east longitude.
• The latitudinal extent of India from the north end of Kashmir to the south end of Kanyakumari is 37°6′N to 8°4′N.
• The longitudinal extent of India from the west end of Gujarat to the east end of Arunachal Pradesh is 68°7′E to 97°25′E.

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