1. Introduction

 

 

All Muslims must turn toward Mecca during prayer. It is important if you are a Muslim to know where Mecca is and which way that is from where you are when you prepare to pray. According to a story occasionally recounted among geographers... there was a congregation of Muslims in New York City who had found themselves debating the question "Which way is Mecca?" The flap occurred when parts of the congregation wanted to face one direction and another groups suggested a different direction.  One group was using a flat map to support their position and an opposing group was using a globe. Wisely, they turned to a local professor of geography for help. What follows is the experiment he urged them to try.
 

2. Objective:

-The student will gain a better insight into how maps and globes influence our perceptions of the world.
3. Sub Objectives:

1. To understand that distortion exists whenever the earth (a sphere) is depicted on a flat, two-dimensional surface like a map
2. To learn how to calculate the shortest distance between two points on earth (your town and Mecca)
3. To learn how to orient yourself after correcting for magnetic declination.

1. Materials:


For each group
-1 globe
-1 protractor
-1 compass
-1 map(s) of the world (any projection is OK, but multiple projections work better)
-1 length of string (3ft?)
-several pieces of masking tape
-1 USGS Quadrangle map of your hometown (or any town USA)

(frequently available at local libraries or USGS.gov)
 

2. Procedure:

2. Go to the globe and again locate your hometown and Mecca. Take the string and stretch it between the two locations. Place a piece of tape over each end, making sure the string is taut and still linking your town and Mecca. Your string should reflect the shortest distance between two points.
3. Take another piece of string and run it from the North Pole to the equator making sure that it is running parallel to the meridians of longitude. It should cross the equator at approximately 90 degrees. Use your protractor to check.
4. Next, position the north-south string so it intersects the first string at your hometown.
5. Next take your protractor and align the straight edge along the piece of string running from the pole to the equator. Align the crosshairs (middle of the protractor) with your hometown. Now measure and record the angle formed by the two strings. If you were perfectly due east from Mecca, your angle would read 90 degrees east.


Angle: ____________________________

Next, you must determine the direction to Mecca from your hometown.

6. Take your compass and place it on a flat surface. Rotate the entire compass until the northward pointing arrow is aligned with the 0 degrees mark (magnetic north). The magnetic needle of compass is now pointing toward magnetic north, not necessarily true north.
7. You must now correct for the difference between magnetic north and true north in your hometown. Examine the USGS Quadrangle map. The map will have several important pieces of information on its margins. In addition to scale, the map will also list the degrees of magnetic declination for this quadrangle. In some parts of the US, this angle will be negligible. In other locations, it will be significant. Where? Why?

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

8. You should also note that magnetic declination changes slowly from year to year. What year was your USGS quadrangle map produced?

 

 

___________________

9. To determine the true bearing to Mecca, subtract the number of degrees of magnetic declination from the angle you recorded in step "e" above. What is the bearing to Mecca?

 

 

____________________

10. If you have a fancier compass, it may have an adjustable glass dial covering the rotating needle. This is the "direction of travel" arrow. If you rotate this dial, you may be able to rotate this dial to the bearing you just calculated. Stand with the compass in your hand and turn your body in the same direction as the direction of travel arrow, but make sure the needle continues to point north. This is the direction to Mecca.
11. If you have a less expensive compass, leave it on the table and walk around the compass until your nose is pointing toward the number you recorded in step i.

You may want to use this exercise to discuss Islam. You may want to prepare a lesson on the five pillars of Islam. I have used this as a launch pad to discuss the ecology of religion. Start with a discussion of the Islamic or Hijra calendar, which is made up of 12 lunar months. The Hijra year is therefore approximately 354 days long, which means that it migrates through the solar year, starting about 11 days earlier each (Gregorian solar) year. Ramadan, the Muslim’s holy month therefore starts 11 days earlier. Ramadan, which entails among other things, a daytime fast, is therefore celebrated in winter some years and summer some years. Why would this be a problem in the "land of the midnight sun"?

You may want to ask students why there are not many Muslim Eskimos.

You can use this as an exercise in map projections, why they are inherently distorted etc.

I also use this to talk about the geology of magnetism and the history of the earth.

I try to get the students to consider the importance of magnetic declination in a state like Alaska, especially if you are relying on a compass while hiking, camping, driving, etc.

This exercise can also serve as a launch pad for instruction in reading contour maps, shaded relief maps, etc.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY:  MAPS THAT LIE FLAT, FLAT LIE.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, contact Dr. Steve Graves at Louisiana Tech University (sgraves@latech.edu)