Which countries does the equator run through?
Which countries does the equator run through?
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The equator is the imaginary line that runs all the way around the Earth at its very fattest middle part. The equator is used as a directional point (so you can say a certain city or country is “above” or “below” the equator) and also as the point of reference for the divide between the northern and southern hemispheres !
As it wraps around the Earth, the equator passes through about 13 different countries. (Depending a little upon whether or not your count certain islands separately and whether bodies of water count as the property of their nearby country or not). Some of these countries include Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, and Indonesia. From end to end, the equator is the same size as the Earth’s circumference : About 24,900 miles long!
by  Mya Kagan  (whyzz writer)
Exploration
At last, the atlas!
Have you ever heard of an atlas? An atlas refers to a book of maps that usually shows different regions and places on Earth. Atlases can be really helpful for looking up where things are and learning about the world!
Have a grown-up help you look up some maps in an atlas so you can see where the equator runs and which countries it goes through! Are each of these places in the spot where you thought they would be? What kinds of things do you think each of these countries might share in common based on their equatorial location? (Hint: It might have something to do with the weather!)