We can cut the globe in half and make a flat picture of the two parts as they look when placed side by side.

Another name for the globe is sphere. 'Hemi' means 'half,' so each half of the globe is called a 'hemisphere.'

One half is called the Eastern Hemisphere and the other half the Western Hemisphere. On the maps of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres below, point out the location of your home.

In the Western Hemisphere we have the Western Continent, which is America. This Western Continent is made of two grand divisions, North America and South America. Why are they so named? North America was joined to South America by a narrow strip of land called the Isthmus of Panama. Look at the map and think why millions of dollars and many years were spent cutting through this isthmus. Now vessels can pass through this Panama Canal.

Look at the map of the Western Hemisphere and notice what it contains besides the Western Continent of America. There is more water than land. This water forms the great oceans.

Perhaps you have been to the seashore and have seen the ocean. Do you remember the big waves which rolled in on the sandy beach and the pretty white-caps far out? Did you see the big nets drawn in full of hundreds of fish? Perhaps you bathed in the ocean and got your mouth full of water. It did not taste like the water we drink, for it was salty. All the water of the ocean is salt water, but the water of rivers is fresh.

The oceans are very large. It would take you five or six days and nights on a great cruise ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. In what direction should we go if we travel from North America to Europe?

Notebook Work: Label the top of your notebook page with "LESSON 17." Study the hemisphere you live in, and sketch it in your notebook. Color the ocean water blue and the land any color you wish. Label your drawing "EASTERN HEMISPHERE" or "WESTERN HEMISPHERE" depending on where you live. Label the map with the directions of north, east, south, and west.