We usually use references of some hemispheres to define the location of the country or we use the name of the continent it is part of. If we talk about India, it is present in the Northern-Eastern Hemisphere of the globe. In this article, we will discuss the two latitudinal divisions of the Earth i.e Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere. We will talk about what is the meaning of the northern and southern hemispheres and their distinctive features and will learn the difference between the two at the end. This article will help you to understand the major divisions of the Earth that will be useful in your studies.
Hemisphere:
It basically refers to the half divisions of anybody. We can divide the Earth into various such equal divisions. These divisions can be longitudinal or latitudinal. On the basis of an imaginary line of the equator, it can be the northern or southern hemisphere and on the basis of the prime meridian, it can be the eastern or western hemisphere. The Northern and Southern Hemisphere are basically hemispheres of the Earth on a latitudinal basis. Let’s study these two important hemispheres deeply:
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Northern Hemisphere
Let’s have a look at all the aspects of the Northern Hemisphere.
Northern Hemisphere Definition & Meaning:
The part of the Earth above the imaginary line i.e. the equator is called the Northern hemisphere. Everything above this 0° line is part of this Hemisphere. It is half part of the Earth which consists of more land than water and has the largest population of the Earth.
Features
Various features that describe this Hemisphere are mentioned below:
Topography:
It has a wide variety of topography and climatic features. This hemisphere has more land as compared to the southern part and this availability of land plays a great role in its Geography. The availability of such huge land along with water bodies plays a great impact on weather and climate patterns. The land in this hemisphere consists of,
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Whole Europe
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Whole North America
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The entire continent of Asia
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A small portion of South America
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⅔ part of the African continent
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Very Small parts of the continent Australia and islands in New Guinea.
The lithosphere of this hemisphere consists of different types of topography. Mountains, plateaus, hills, valleys, rivers and lakes, plains, islands, etc. all kinds of topography and landforms can be found here.
Climate:
The climate varies with respect to the location. This hemisphere has both tropical and temperate climates. Tropic of cancer and arctic circle both are both of this hemisphere which provides different climate zones to this hemisphere. The regions between the tropic of cancer and equator experience hot temperature i.e between 0° to 23.5°N. The regions between 23.5°N to 66.5°N are the regions that are influenced by both the tropics and the poles. In the northern temperate zones, the temperature is relatively cold with different seasons. The Mediterranean type of climate and British type of climate are also distinctive features of the climate of this hemisphere.
Seasons:
Different seasons are there in this hemisphere.
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In June, it experiences the summer solstice.
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In September, it experiences the autumnal equinox. This is the time of the autumn season.
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In December, it experiences the winter season.
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And in March, it experiences the vernal equinox. This is the time of spring season in this hemisphere.
Coriolis Force:
It is one of the most important components of the physical Geography of the northern hemisphere. This is a special effect because of which various objects deflect in a specific direction. In the northern hemisphere, the objects move in the right direction or can stay in the clockwise direction. This affects the movement of the water, or atmospheric air or winds, etc which leads to a huge effect on the regular weather and climatic conditions.
Northern Hemisphere Population:
The northern hemisphere continent has a large area of land and thus there are a number of countries and places for the people to live. The majority of the population of the Earth lives in this hemisphere and it has all large or small cities of the world. Similarly, the majority of the population of various varieties of vegetation and wildlife is also present in this hemisphere.
Southern Hemisphere
Let’s have a look at all the aspects of the southern hemisphere.
Southern Hemisphere Definition or Meaning:
The part of the earth below the imaginary line of the equator is called the southern hemisphere. Everything that lies under it is part of the southern hemisphere. It consists of around 81% of water (which is more than the Northern Hemisphere) and 32% of the land (which is less than the Northern Hemisphere).
Features
The various features of the southern hemisphere are mentioned below:
Topography:
Similar to the Northern hemisphere, there is also a wide variety of topography in the southern hemisphere. As we can see on the map as well, if we compare both hemispheres, this hemisphere has less lithosphere and has more water. It is also considered a bit larger than the northern one. The water bodies present here are the Indian Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, Southern Ocean, and the South Pacific ocean. Southern hemisphere continents and the land here consists of;
Climate:
It has more water than land and water takes more time to warm as well as to cool down and thus it has a milder climate than the upper hemisphere. Tropic of Capricorn and Antarctic circle are part of this hemisphere and they have a great influence on the temperature and climatic conditions of this Hemisphere. 0° to 23.5°S are torrid zones which are influenced by both equator and Tropic of Capricorn whereas 23.5°S to 66.5°S serves the South Temperate zone which mostly consists of water and beyond 66.5°S is the South Frigid zone that covers 4.12% of the area of the Earth.
Seasons:
Similar to the Northern hemisphere, there are also different types of seasons during the year here in this hemisphere as well. The seasons are not similar but exactly opposite to the northern hemisphere. These are mentioned below:
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In the month of June, it experiences the winter solstice when there is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.
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In the month of September, it experiences the spring season or we can say vernal equinox when there is an autumnal equinox above.
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In the month of December, it experiences the summer season or summer solstice when there are winters above.
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In the month of March, it experiences the autumn season, or can say the autumnal equinox when there is spring season above.
Coriolis Force:
It is one of the most important components of the physical Geography of the southern hemisphere as well. This is a special force because of which various objects deflect in a specific direction. In the southern hemisphere, the objects move in the left direction or can stay in the anti-clockwise direction. It can change the directions of the trade winds which move from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere or vice versa. This affects the movement of the water, or atmospheric air or winds, etc which leads to a huge effect on the regular weather and climatic conditions.
Population:
As this is already clear that it has less land as compared to the above hemisphere thus, less population is there. It has around 32.7% of the land of the Earth and only 10 to 12% of the population of the Earth lives here.
The difference between the two hemispheres is mentioned in the table:
Difference Between Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere
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Northern Hemisphere |
Southern Hemisphere |
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It is the part above the 0°. |
It is the part below 0°. |
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It has more land than water. It consists of around 68% land of the Earth. |
It has more water than land. It consists of around 32% of the Earth. |
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The average annual temperature of this is 15.2°C. which is relatively higher than the southern one because of the presence of more land. |
The average annual temperature of this hemisphere is 13.3°C which is relatively lower than the northern one because of the presence of more water. |
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The sequence of the seasons here with respect to June – September – December – March is Summer – Autumn – Winter – Spring. |
The sequence of the seasons with respect to June – September – December – March is Winter – Spring – Summer – Autumn. |
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The objects move in the right direction or clockwise direction in this hemisphere because of the Coriolis force. |
The objects move in the left direction or the anti-clockwise direction in this hemisphere because of the Coriolis force. |
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It has the maximum population in the world. |
It has less population than the northern hemisphere. |
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It consists of all the continents except Antarctica. Even a few parts of Australia are also part of this. |
It consists of all the continents except North America and Europe. |
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It consists of the North Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. |
It consists of the Indian Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, Southern Ocean, and the South Pacific ocean. |
More About the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere
The above text was flooded with information. It gave you the idea of the southern and northern hemispheres, their features and also its difference. It was very informative and also the conclusion was very short and useful.
Geography is a part of Social Science that includes lots of learning. You need to learn and revise a lot while you are preparing for this subject. The best way to remember things is to keep saying them aloud or narrate them to someone.
The below-mentioned tricks will help you get better grades and also will prove to be the best for you.
Hence, students shall try adding them to their schedules and with that, it is also important to understand that no single strategy would work for everyone but to succeed, it is important to observe, select and do what’s best for you.
Stop multitasking. Your brain gets tired soon and you may need more frequent breaks. Don’t let your brain get tired so easily. For example, if you are doing Math, you should not start with physics or any other subject simultaneously, keep your focus on 1 subject and then start with another one.
Whatever device you are using for your studies, should be completely distraction-free. It should not have any social media or any games. It should be used for study purposes only. You may use some other device while resting or during your breaks. You should not be missing any breaks, make them relax and start again because it is also important to allow your mind to calm. All you need to take care of is the devices that you use.
If you are not able to concentrate and are experiencing running thoughts, you should take a paper and write down about everything that you are thinking and then start with your studies. It will help you focus better on your preparation. Keep your mind clear and calm during the study time because, with unnecessary stress and anxiety, you won’t get results. This trick is also very useful in exam time as it helps you gain focus and realign concentration.
A hydrated body always helps your concentration to improve. If you are not in the habit of drinking water, do it right away, start your day with a glass of water and keep your bottle on your study table throughout the day, you will automatically be reminded of it, keep sipping water and for sure you will have more energy.
Self-testing is testing your knowledge about a particular topic through quizzes or sample questions. Cheating in self-testing is like cheating your own self which is wrong. The self-test should feel hard, you should come to the level of retest, it should be honest as this will only give you a true picture about your clarity for that particular concept.
Stop whenever you feel like it, stop guilt-free at any time whenever your body is tired. Listen to your body, don’t stretch your capacities. If you are feeling exhausted, close your books and take a power nap. Fix a time at night which should not be stretched, don’t let your sleep compromise. Just keep your mind and body happy and they will give you more power to study and ace your studies.
If you are not able to go according to your schedule and not able to achieve the goals then you need to understand that the goals set are too high and unrealistic. These goals cannot be achieved at the moment but will be achievable soon with practice which will increase your speed. Like if you are aiming to study for about 8 hours a day then for now you should aim for 5 hours. Don’t stretch yourself too much, just keep increasing it slowly.
Conclusion
Thus, in this article, we have covered everything required and necessary about the two hemispheres of the Earth ie. The Northern hemisphere and Southern hemisphere. We have studied their various features such as their topography, land or ocean composition, population, the occurrence of seasons, temperature and climatic conditions, the effect of Coriolis force, etc. All these things clearly define and demarcate the difference between the two as well. This article will not only increase your basic knowledge about the Earth and its divisions but also will help in your academic journey.
We have read in detail what is the northern hemisphere and what is the southern hemisphere and their related features comprehensively. Let’s practice some of the related FAQs: