What are advantages and limitations of Globe

What is Globe?

A Globe is a spherical three-dimensional model of the Earth. The word “globe” is derived from the word “Globus” which means sphere in Latin. Globes are available in different types and sizes. A celestial globe is the model globe of a celestial sphere whereas a terrestrial globe is the model globe of earth. The earth rotates on its axis, similarly, the globe has a needle to rotate. The top and the bottom of the needle represent the North and South poles of Earth respectively.

Globes and Maps serve similar purposes. Unlike maps globes do not distort the surface, but they only scale them down to fit in a small sphere. Globe shows all landmasses and waterbodies of Earth. They have oceans, seas, continents, and countries. Some globes have raised reliefs to show large mountains and plateaus. Globes also contain lines of latitude ad longitude. The globe represents the equator which passes through the centre of the Earth dividing the earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Globe is a miniature form of Earth which helps us to visualize the Earth as a 3D model.

Advantages of Globe

The advantages of the globe are as follows:

1. A globe shows the accurate distribution of continents and oceans.
2. Globe gives an idea of the tilt of the Earth’s axis.
3. Globe helps in visualizing the earth as a sphere avoiding the misconception of flat earth created by maps.
4. Globe helps students in understanding the rotation of Earth around its axis which causes the day and night cycle.
5. A globe depicts the true distances between different locations on Earth.
6. Unlike flat maps globes are accurate 3D representations of Earth.
7. Unlike maps, globes do not distort the shape, size, and dimensions of large features.
8. Some globes represent physical features like mountains, rivers and deserts by showing elevations and depressions.
9. The latitudes and longitudes on the globe help in locating specific points on Earth.
10. A globe is useful across wide disciplines like science, geography, history and social science.
11. Some globes can be swivelled to view the southern portions of the globe clearly from the top just like the northern portions and thereby exploring Earth from different orientations.
12. Globes help in understanding political boundaries between different countries.

Limitations of Globe

The limitations of the globe are as follows:

1. Globes are difficult to hold and carry due to their big size which limits their usage.
2. Unlike maps globes are always made for the whole earth and cannot be used to show an enlarged view of a part of Earth.
3. Globes are not useful to study specific parts of Earth in detail.
4. A globe does not show detailed features like roads, railways, cities, vegetation, etc.
5. Globes are more expensive compared to maps and everyone couldn’t afford to buy a large globe.
6. Unlike maps, globes need a lot of space and cannot be folded which makes them inconvenient.
7. Globes having a surface texture to represent mountains, plateaus, etc are more exaggerated because otherwise, they are hardly visible which gives relatively wrong dimensions for students.
8. Digital maps provide interactive features and the ability to zoom in and out, globes provide limited interactivity. Digital maps are used extensively these days which limits the usage of globes.
9. Globes focus only on geographical features and do not provide sufficient information about cultural aspects.
10. Globes cannot illustrate small-scale features like ponds, streams, villages, etc.
11. Globes provide limited accessibility to visually impaired individuals as most globes only rely on visual representation.
12. It is very difficult to maintain the actual curvature of the Earth on a globe so the lines of latitude and longitude are not very accurate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Que 1. What is a Globe?

Answer – A globe is a spherical three-dimensional model of the Earth.

Que 2. When do you use a globe?

Answer – A globe is used when we want to study the earth as a whole, to understand the three-dimensional representation of continents and oceans.

Que 3. How is a globe better than a map?

Answer – A Globe is better than a map in the following ways:

1. Globe helps in visualizing the earth as a sphere avoiding the misconception of flat earth created by maps.
2. Globe helps students in understanding the rotation of Earth around its axis which causes the day and night cycle.
3. A globe depicts the true distances between different locations on Earth.
4. Unlike flat maps globes are accurate 3D representations of Earth.
5. Unlike maps, globes do not distort the shape, size, and dimensions of large features.

Que 4. What are the 5 limitations of a globe?

Answer – The limitations of the globe are as follows:

1. Globes are difficult to hold and carry due to their big size which limits their usage.
2. Unlike maps globes are always made for the whole earth and cannot be used to show an enlarged view of a part of Earth.
3. Globes are not useful to study specific parts of Earth in detail.
4. A globe does not show detailed features like roads, railways, cities, villages, ponds, vegetation, etc.
5. Globes are more expensive compared to maps and everyone couldn’t afford to buy a large globe.
6. Unlike maps, globes need a lot of space and cannot be folded which makes them inconvenient.

Que 5. Give any 5 advantages of Globe.

Answer – Advantages of the globe are as follows:

1. A globe shows the accurate distribution of continents and oceans.
2. Globe gives an idea of the tilt of the Earth’s axis.
3. Some globes represent physical features like mountains, rivers and deserts by showing elevations and depressions.
4. The latitudes and longitudes on the globe help in locating specific points on Earth.
5. A globe is useful across wide disciplines like science, geography, history and social science.
6. Some globes can be swivelled to view the southern portions of the globe clearly from the top just like the northern portions and thereby exploring Earth from different orientations.
7. Globes help in understanding political boundaries between different countries.

Que 6. Why are globes used less frequently compared to maps?

Answer – Globes are used less frequently than maps because of the following reasons:

1. Globes are difficult to hold and carry due to their big size which limits their usage.
2. Unlike maps globes are always made for the whole earth and cannot be used to show an enlarged view of a part of Earth.
3. Globes are not useful to study specific parts of Earth in detail.
4. A globe does not show detailed features like roads, railways, cities, vegetation, etc.
5. Globes are more expensive compared to maps and everyone couldn’t afford to buy a large globe.
6. Unlike maps, globes need a lot of space and cannot be folded which makes them inconvenient.