hemisphere
noun
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Hemisphere includes the prefix hemi-, meaning "half". The northern and southern hemispheres are divided by the equator, the circle halfway between Earth's two poles. The eastern and western hemispheres aren't divided so exactly, since there are no poles in the Earth's east-west dimension. Often the dividing line is said to be the "prime meridian"—the imaginary north-south line that runs through Greenwich, England, from which all longitude is calculated (itself being the 0° meridian). But for simplicity's sake, the eastern hemisphere is often said to include all of Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia, while the western hemisphere contains North and South America and a great deal of ocean.
Examples of hemisphere in a Sentence
Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
The dust then darkens the leading hemispheres of the two outer moons, which bear the brunt of the debris and shield the inner moons, Ariel and Umbriel, from going through the same thing.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2025
The severe geomagnetic storm conditions reached last night were relished by aurora chasers in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres (those who were still awake anyway).
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 1 June 2025
For some, Chancay could be President Trump’s next target in his bid to secure the hemisphere and confront China’s rising economic and political influence.
—Whitney Eulich, Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hemisphere
Cite this Entry
“Hemisphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hemisphere. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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