Any given location in the world is in two hemispheres at once: Northern or Southern and Eastern or Western. The United States, for example, is in both the Northern and Western hemispheres and Australia is in the Southern and Eastern hemispheres. Which hemispheres are you in? Determining whether you are in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere is easy—simply ask yourself if the equator is north or south of your position. This tells you your longitudinal hemisphere because the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere are divided by the equator.
All points on Earth that are south of the equator are in the Southern Hemisphere. Climate is the biggest difference between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Along and close to the equator zero degrees latitude , the climate is very tropical and relatively unchanging throughout the year.
As you move away from the equator—either north or south—distinct seasons are experienced that become more extreme as you travel beyond 40 degrees of latitude. This is most notable in the heavily populated Northern Hemisphere as the 40th parallel bisects the United States and runs across Europe and Asia along the Mediterranean Sea. The Northern and Southern Hemispheres have opposite seasons.
In December, people in the Northern Hemisphere are beginning winter and those living in the Southern Hemisphere are enjoying summer—vice versa in June. Meteorological seasons are caused by the Earth's tilt toward or away from the sun. During the month of December, the Southern Hemisphere is angled toward the sun and thus experiences warmer temperatures. At the same time, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun and, receiving fewer warming rays, endures much cooler temperatures.
The earth is also divided into an Eastern and Western hemisphere. Determining which of these you are in is more difficult because the divisions are not as obvious as they are for the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Ask yourself which continent you're on and go from there. About The only ocean that is completely located in this hemisphere is the Arctic Ocean.
The other oceans, namely the Pacific , Atlantic , and the Indian Ocean have portions both in the Northern as well as in the Southern hemisphere. This hemisphere includes the entirety of Australia , New Zealand , and Antarctica as well as major parts of South America, about one-third of Africa, and some islands of mainland Asia. Major portions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans are located in the Southern hemisphere.
In addition to this, the only ocean that is entirely located here is the Southern Ocean. The Southern Hemisphere experiences a milder climate compared to the Northern Hemisphere and experiences the summer season from December to February and the winter season from June to August. It has been estimated that more than million people reside in the Southern Hemisphere.
Jakarta, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Sydney, and Melbourne are some of the largest metropolitan areas that are located in the Southern Hemisphere. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom.
Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. Map by National Geographic. Eastern Hemisphere. International Date Line. East of this line is one day earlier than west. New World. Northern Hemisphere. Old World. Southern Hemisphere. Western Hemisphere. Media Credits The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. Last Updated March 22, Media If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer.
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