A time zone is a region where the same standard time is used.

An Antimeridian is the line of longitude opposite a meridian. The Antimeridian forms the basis of the International Date Line.

A border is the dividing line between two countries.

The International Date Line and time

Geography

Day and night

Longitude and time zones

Travel and time

Using digital maps to plan a trip to a different time zone

This unit provides a foundation for subsequent work in KS3.

This unit builds on 'Climate zones: What are they and why do they matter?', and also on 'Europe: How diverse are its landscapes and places'' and 'The Americas: How diverse are its places and landscapes?', which sequentially build pupils’ knowledge of the importance and location of significant lines of longitude and latitude on planet Earth, and deepens their understanding of time zones.

This unit explores the relationship between the Earth's rotation, day and night, and time zones. Pupils learn how longitude affects time, investigate the International Date Line, and consider what happens when we travel across the globe.

Time zones: can we time travel on planet Earth?

a region where the same standard time is used

the line of longitude opposite a meridian

Match the key words to their definitions. 

Lines of longitude give our position in {{ }} east or west of the Prime Meridian.

It is on the same line of longitude as the Prime Meridian.

It is is the place where the date changes.

Which of these statements are true of the The International Date Line (IDL)?

The IDL does not follow the Antimeridian exactly. There are some deviations for ...

The International Date Line (IDL) runs through which ocean?

Places to the {{ }} of the IDL are the first to experience a new day.

{{ }} is the line of longitude at 0 degrees, from which the other lines of longitude are measured east and west.

Webcams give geographers information about ...

Earth is divided into {{ }} standard meridians, at intervals of 15˚.

time zones to the west of the Prime Meridian are minus UTC

time zones to the east of the Prime Meridian are minus UTC 

time zones to the west of the Prime Meridian are UTC plus

time zones to the east of the Prime Meridian are UTC plus

Order the time zones based on their distance from the Prime Meridian (UTC) starting with the closest.

The International Date Line and time

Lesson outcome