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The equator is a great circle because its center is at the center of the Earth.

That's not true for any other parallel of latitude.

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Why diametrically opposite lines of longitude and equator are called great circles?

A 'great circle' is any circle on the surface of a sphere that has its center at the center of the sphere. The equator is the only parallel of latitude that's a great circle. Every meridian of constant longitude is a semi-circle, and together with the one directly opposite it, they form a great circle. The shortest distance between two points on a sphere is the piece of the great circle through them.


Why is the equator the only parallel that is a great circle?

The equator is the only parallel that is a great circle because it is centered on the Earth's axis of rotation. This means that it divides the Earth into two equal hemispheres and its circumference is the maximum possible for a circle on the Earth's surface. Other parallels are smaller circles and not great circles.


Which meridians paired with their opposite meridians are great circles?

Any meridian, paired with the meridian exactly 180 degrees different in longitude,comprise a great circle.If the two meridians are not exactly 180 degrees apart in longitude, then they'renot in the same plane, and they don't form a circle at all.No two meridians of longitude can combine to form a small circle.All parallels of latitude, except the equator, are small circles. The equator is the onlygreat one.


Which is longer- the equator or the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn?

tropic of cancer


What is the great circle at 0 degrees latitude known by?

The great circle at 0 degrees latitude is known as the Equator. It is an imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.

Related Questions

A synonym for equator?

Great circle or circle


Does 90 degree west and 90 degree east form a great circle?

No. You have to cross 360 degrees of meridian for a great circle, so 180 degrees East plus 180 degrees West around the equator will form a great circle.


Why is the equator the great circle?

It is a circle because, the earth is a circle, and the equator stretches all the way around the earth.


What is the only line of latitude that is the great circle?

The equator .


Is the Tropic of Cancer a great circle?

No; neither of the tropics is a great circle. The only line of latitude that is a great circle is the equator. The arctic and antarctic circles are not great circles, either.


Why diametrically opposite lines of longitude and equator are called great circles?

A 'great circle' is any circle on the surface of a sphere that has its center at the center of the sphere. The equator is the only parallel of latitude that's a great circle. Every meridian of constant longitude is a semi-circle, and together with the one directly opposite it, they form a great circle. The shortest distance between two points on a sphere is the piece of the great circle through them.


Is the equator the only line of latitude that is a great circle?

Yes


Why is the equator called the great circles?

The reason they call the equator the great circle is because circles the whole earth in the middle.becase its the only line that runs in the centre of the earth and goes right arround . {nickstar}


Is arctic circle a great circle?

No. Any great circle on the earth has a circumference of about 24,000 miles. The circumference of the Arctic Circle (and the Antarctic circle too) is about 9,945 miles. Imagine circles around the North Pole. The closer to the pole the circle is, the smaller it is. If you were right there at the North Pole, you could walk a 10-foot circle around it. The Arctic Circle is a circle around the pole, but about 1,570 miles south of it. The only circle around the pole that's a great circle is the Equator.


What is the longest line on the earth?

Any great circle (the best known great circle is the equator) which are about 24,901 miles long.


Why is the equator the only parallel that is a great circle?

The equator is the only parallel that is a great circle because it is centered on the Earth's axis of rotation. This means that it divides the Earth into two equal hemispheres and its circumference is the maximum possible for a circle on the Earth's surface. Other parallels are smaller circles and not great circles.


The great circle at zero degrees latitude is known by what name?

The Equator