Hemispheres of the World and the Importance of the Equator and Prime Meridian

The four hemispheres of the world. The Equator splits the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and the Prime Meridian splits the Eastern and Western Hemispheres (see the two images below). You can also further divide the globe into the Northeastern Hemisphere, the Southeastern Hemisphere, the Northwestern Hemisphere, and the Southwestern Hemisphere. For example, North America is located in the Northwestern Hemisphere and Australia (Oceania) is located in the Southeastern Hemisphere.