ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

globe

globe

A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of the Earth or other round body

Grades

4 - 12+

Subjects

Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

















NGS Resource Carousel Loading Logo
Loading ...
Powered by
Morgan Stanley

A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of the Earth or other round body. Because it is spherical, or ball-shaped, it can represent surface features, directions, and distances more accurately than a flat map. On the other hand, a globe may be less practical for travelers, since globes are much bulkier than flat maps and often carry less detailed information.

The oldest known globe was made more than 2,100 years ago by Crates of Mallus, a Greek philosopher and geographer who lived in what is today Turkey. The oldest globe that survives to this day was made by the German geographer Martin Behaim in 1492—just before Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World. This globe is more accurate than Crates', but still leaves out North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica.

The Earth is not the only planet that has been mapped onto a globe. In the past few decades, spacecraft have made detailed maps of the surfaces of other planets and moons. Globes for some of them, such as the planet Mars and our own Moon, are available for purchase.

Even the night sky around the Earth, known as the celestial sphere, has been mapped onto a globe. Celestial globes represent stars and planets visible above certain parts of the Earth. Many constellations, such as the Big Dipper, are outlined into familiar shapes on celestial globes. Looking for patterns on celestial globes makes finding individual stars easier to spot.

Like most early terrestrial globes, most early celestial globes were made of metal. Metal globes are usually cast in two halves, or hemispheres. These halves are then welded together with hot metal, creating a seam, or raised line, in the middle of the sphere. It is nearly impossible to create seamless globesglobes that are made of a single piece of metal. Nevertheless, astronomers and metalsmiths in what is today India and Pakistan created such celestial globes in the 1500s.

An ancient type of globe is the armillary sphere. An armillary sphere has a mini-globe of Earth surrounded by rings representing movement of visible stars and planets. The rings are adjustable, so they reflect the stars and planets visible at different times of the year in different places on the globe. Before the invention of the telescope, armillary spheres were the most important tools astronomers had. In fact, celestial globes and armillary spheres have likely been used at least as long as terrestrial globes, if not longer.

Fast Fact

Hot Potato
Martin Behaims 1492 globe is called the Erdapfel, which means Earth apple. It is so valuable, authorities in Germany keep it at a secret location to prevent damage and theft.

Erdapfel is now a German word for potato. At the time Behaim made his globe, potatoes were unknown in Europe. (Potatoes are native to North and South America, which hadnt been discovered by Europeans yet.)

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Writers
Kim Rutledge
Melissa McDaniel
Santani Teng
Hilary Hall
Tara Ramroop
Erin Sprout
Jeff Hunt
Diane Boudreau
Hilary Costa
Illustrators
Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society
Tim Gunther
Editors
Jeannie Evers, Emdash Editing, Emdash Editing
Kara West
Educator Reviewer
Nancy Wynne
Producer
National Geographic Society
other
Last Updated

October 19, 2023

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.

Media

If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

Text

Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

Interactives

Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.

Related Resources