Page 317 - New Medley 5 Semester 1

Ocean: The major oceans are the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian

Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. The large water body around Antarctica is called
the Southern Ocean. It is formed by the merging of the southern parts of the

Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

Shape of the Earth

In ancient times, people thought that the shape of the Earth was flat. Today, we

know that its shape is like a sphere. The photographs taken by satellites show
the spherical shape of the Earth.

Globe

We cannot study the Earth properly because it is very big.
We need something which can help us see the whole Earth

at a time. Therefore, we make a model of the Earth, which
is a copy of the actual Earth. Such a model of the Earth is

called a globe. A globe can show us the whole Earth at a
time more or less accurately.

The shape of a globe is almost similar to that of the Earth.

It shows continents and oceans in their true shapes and Globe
sizes. But the globe has limitations.

? ? Large-sized globes cannot be made easily.

? ? It is also difficult to handle large-sized globes.

? ? The small globe does not show the details of the Earth’s surface.

Maps

If we want to study the Earth’s features in detail, we need

maps. The word ‘map’ has been derived from the Latin word

Mappo, which means a ‘napkin’. In olden days, most of the
maps were drawn on an animal’s skin or cloth.

A map is a representation of the whole Earth or a part of it on
a flat surface. It is not a photograph of the Earth’s surface. The

map can be drawn, showing the whole Earth or a continent
The oldest map

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