Which statement correctly describes the equator?

• A. It Is a Great Circle Perpendicular to the Earth's Axis and Halfway Between the Poles
• B. It Passes Through the Poles
• C. It Is a Line of Longitude at Greenwich
• D. It Is a Circle Around the World at a Fixed Latitude North or South

Answer: (A)

The equator is a circle around the Earth that lies in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis and is halfway between the poles, making it a great circle that passes through the Earth's center. This describes why it sits at 0° latitude and divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It does not pass through the poles—lines of longitude do and they converge at the poles. The Greenwich line is the prime meridian, a line of longitude, not the equator. A circle around the world at a fixed latitude describes a parallel of latitude, but most parallels are small circles; only the equator is the special great circle at 0° latitude.