Geographical Definitions. The fituation of places upon the earth is determined by their latitude and longitude. 1. The latitude of any place upon the earth is its neareft diftance, either north or fouth, from the equator; and if the place be in the northern hemisphere, it is called north latitude; if in the southern hemifphere, it is called fouth latitude, and is measured by an arch of the meridian paffing through the zenith of the faid place, and intercepted betwixt it and the equator: and all places that lie on the fame fide, and at the fame distance from the equator, are faid to be in the fame parallel of latitude; the parallels of latitude in geography, are the fame with the parallels of declination in aftronomy. Corollaries. 1. No place can have above 90 degrees of latitude, either north or fouth. 2. Thofe places that lie under the equinoctial have no latitude, it being from thence that the calculation of latitude is counted; and thofe places that lie under the poles have the greatest latitude, thofe points being at the greatest distance from the equator, or equinoctial line. 3. The latitude of any place is always equal to the elevation of the pole in the fame place, above the horizon; and is therefore often expreffed by the pole's height, or elevation of the pole: the reafon of which is, becaufe from the equator to the pole there is always the distance of 90 degrees, and from the zenith to the horizon the fame number of degrees, each of these including the distance from the zenith to the pole. That distance, therefore, being taken away from both, will leave the distance from the zenith to the equator (which is the latitude) equal to the diftance from the pole to the horizon. 4. The elevation of the equator in any place, is always equal to the complement of the latitude of the fame place. 5. A fhip failing directly towards the equator, leffens her latitude, or depreffes the pole juft fo much as her distance failed; and failing directly from the equator augments her latitude, or raises the pole juft fo much as her distance failed. 2. Difference of Latitude, is the neareft diftance betwixt any two parallels of latitude, fhewing how far the one is to the northward or fouthward of the other, which can never exceed 180 degrees; and when the two places are in the fame hemifphere, or on the fame fide of the equator, the leffer latitude fubtracted from the greater, and when they are on different fides of the equator, the two latitudes added gives the difference of latitude. 3. The Longitude of any place upon the earth is an arch of the equa tor, contained betwixt the meridian of the given place, and fome fixed or known meridian; or it is equal to the angle formed by the two meridians; which properly can never exceed 180 degrees, though fometimes the longitude is counted eafterly quite round the globe. Since the meridians are all moveable, and not one that can be fixed in the heavens, the longitude of places cannot fo well be fixed from any one meridian; but every geographer is at his liberty to make which he pleafes pleafes his first meridian, from whence to calculate the longitudes of other places: hence it is, that the geographers of different nations, reckon their longitudes from different meridians, commonly chufing the meridian paffing through the metropolis of their own country for their firft; thus, the English geographers generally make the meridian of London to be their first; the French, that of Paris, &c. And mariners generally reckon their longitude from the last know land they faw. This arbitary way of reckoning the longitude from different places, makes it neceffary, whenever we exprefs the longitude of any place, that the place from whence it is counted be also expreffed. 4. Zones are large tracts of the furface of the earth, diftinguished by the tropics and polar circles, being five in number, viz. one torrid, two temperate, and two frigid. The torrid, or burning zone, is all the space comprehended between the two tropics: the ancients imagined this tract of the earth to be uninhabitable. All the inhabitants of the torrid zone have the fun in their zenith, or exactly over their heads, twice in every year; excepting those who live exactly under the two tropics, where the fun comes to their zenith only once in every year. The two temperate zones lie on either fide of the globe between the tropics and the polar circles. The two frigid zones are those spaces upon the globe that are includ ed within the two polar circles. The inhabitants of the earth are alfo distinguished by the diverfity of their fhadows; thofe who live in the torrid zone are called Amphifcians, because their noon-fhadow is caft different ways, according as the fun is to the northward or fouthward of their zenith; but when the fun is in their zenith, they are called Afcians. The inhabitants of the temperate zones are called Heterofcians, because their noon-fhadow is always caft the fame way: but those who live under the tropics are called Afcians-Heterofcians. Those who live in the frigid zones are called Periscians, because sometimes their fhadow is caft round about them. The inhabitants of the earth are alfo diftinguished into three forts, in refpect to their fituation one to another; and thefe are called, the Perioci, Antici, and Antipodes. 5. The Pericci are thofe who live under oppofite points of the fame parallel of latitude; they have the feafons of the year at the fame time, and their days and nights always of the fame length with one another; but the one's noon is the other's midnight; and when the fun is in the equinoctial, he rifes with the one, when he fets with the other; thofe who live under the poles have no Pericci. 6. The Anteci live under the fame meridan, and in the fame latitude, but on the different fides of the equator; their feafons of the year are contrary, and the days of the one are equal to the nights of the other; but the hour of the day and night is the fame with both; and when the fun is in the equinoctial, he rifes and fets, to both exactly at the fame time. Those who live under the fame equator have no Antœci. 7. The Antipodes are thofe who live diametrically oppofite to one another, ftanding, as it were, exactly feet to feet; their days and nights, fummer and winter, are at direct contrary times. 8. A climate is a tract of the furface of the earth, included between two fuch parallels of latitude, that the length of the longest day in the one, exceeds that in the other, by half an hour. The whole furface of the earth is confidered as being divided into 60 climates, viz. from the equator to each of the polar circles, 24, arifing from the difference of half an hour in the length of their longest days; and from the polar circles to the poles themselves are fix, arifing from the difference of an entire month; the fun being seen, in the first of these, a whole month without setting; in the second, two, and in the third, three months, &c. These climates continually decrease in breadth, the farther they are from the equator. How they are framed, viz. the parallel of latitude in which they end (that being likewife the breadth of the next) with the respective breadth of each of them, is fhewed in the following table. 23456789 A TABLE OF THE CLIMATES. Climates between the Equator and the Polar Circles. Climates Climates, I 12/ 8 25 8 25 13 14 15 071 14 16 57 1436 28 6 08 17 15 41 22 4 54 18 21 2064 06 441 43 2165 21 32 16 16 51 149 ΟΙ 3 32 20 22 65 47 26 57 21 22 66 06 0 19 10 17 54 27 2 29 22 23 12 24 24 66 31 o 03 1756 37 2 10 18 58 29 1 51 Of the Cofmical, Achronical, and Heliacal, Rifing and Setting of the Stars. A ftar is faid to rife or fet cofmically, when it rifes or fets at funrifing; and when it rifes or fets at fun-fetting, it is faid to rife or fet achronically. A ftar rifes heliacally, when first it becomes vifible, after it has been fo near the fun, as to be hid by the fplendor of his rays; and a ftar is faid to fet heliacally, when it is first immerfed, or hid by the fun's rays. -3 L The The fixed ftars, and the three fuperior planets, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, rife heliacally in the morning; but the moon rifes heliacally in the evening; because the fun is fwifter than the fuperior planets, and flower than the moon. Of the Surface of the Earth, confidered as it is compofed of The earth confifts naturally of two parts, land and water; and therefore it is called the terraqueous globe: each of these elements are fubdivided into various forms and parts, which accordingly are diftinguifhed by different names. 1. OF THE LAND. The Land is diftinguished into Continents, Iflands, Peninfulas, Iftmuffes, Promontories, Mountains, or Coasts. 9. A Continent is a large tract of land, comprehending several countries, not separated by the fea; fuch as Europe, Afia, Africa, and Amewhich four are the principal divifions of the earth. rica ; 10. An Ifland is a portion of the earth, entirely furrounded with water, fuch as Great Britain and Ireland; alfo a small part of dry land, in the midst of a river, is called an island. 11. A Peninsula is a part of land almost environed with water, fave one narrow neck of land adjoining it to the Continent; such as Denmark joining to Germany; alfo Africa is properly a large peninfula, joining to Afia. 12. An Ifthmus is a narrow neck of land, joining a peninsula to the Continent; as the Ifthmus of Suez, which joins Africa to Afia; that of Panama, joining North and South America, &c. 13. A Promontory is a high part of land, ftretching out into the fea; and is often called a Cape or Headland; fuch is the Cape of Good Hope, in the fouth of Africa; the Lizard Point, &c. A Mountain is a high part of land, in the midst of a country, overtoping the adjacent parts. 14. A Coaft, or Shore, is that part of land which borders upon the fea, whether it be an Island, or a Continent; and that part of the land, which is far diftant from the fea, is called the inland country. These are the ufual diftinctions of the land. II. OF WATER. The Water is distinguished into Oceans, Seas, Lakes, Gulfs, Straits, and Rivers. 15. The Ocean, or Main Sea, is a vaft fpreading collection of water, not divided by lands running between; fuch as the Atlantic, or Western Ocean, between Europe and America; the Pacific Ocean, or South Sea, &c. Note. |