Skills used
- Latitude & Longitude
- Using scale to measure distance
- Using directions
- Critical thinking
- Solving Problems
Materials Needed
Globe in Horizon Ring Mounting, World Map
Lesson
On a flat map of the world (use a world map in your social studies book if you do not have a world wall map) find the United States and Russia. Note the geographical relationship of the United States to Russia on the flat map.
Russia once made up most of a country called the Soviet Union, and between 1945 and 1991 a cold war (a war in which no direct military conflict takes place) existed between the United States and the Soviet Union. Throughout much of this period these two superpowers had deadly missiles standing ready and aimed at each other's major cities and military installations.
As a result of this Cold War, the United States built many radar stations to provide for an early warning of any missiles that the Soviets might fire at our country. The most important of these radar stations were located in Alaska (66N/150W), Greenland (75N/45W), and The United Kingdom (54N/2W). Note these places on the flat map and then circle them on your globe. Why do you think the radar stations were located so far north? (1.) _____________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________
On your globe draw a great circle route from Novosibirsk, Russia at 56N/83E to Washington, D.C. at 39N/77W. What is this distance? (2.) _____________________________________ A missile traveling at 15,000 miles per hour would cover 250 miles per minute. How many minutes would it take a missile to travel between these two cities? (3.) ____________________