Google Maps, Country Facts and Route Planner
Geographers recognize spatial distributions and patterns in Earth’s physical and human characteristics. The term spatial comes from the noun “space,” and it relates to the distribution of various phenomena on Earth’s surface. Geographers portray spatial data cartographically-that is, with maps.
On or about June 22, the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the northern tip of Earth’s axis is inclined toward the sun at an angle of 23.5 degrees from a line perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. This is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. On or about December 22, the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the southern tip of Earth’s axis is inclined toward the sun at an angle of 23.5 degrees from a line perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. This is the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.