ekvator

Ekvatør, or ekvator, refers to the equator, the imaginary circle around the middle of the Earth at 0 degrees latitude. It is a great circle that divides the planet into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and lies in the plane perpendicular to the Earth's rotation axis. The equator is the longest line of latitude and defines the maximum circumference of the Earth, approximately 40,075 kilometers (24,901 miles). Because the Earth is an oblate spheroid rather than a perfect sphere, the distance from the equator to the poles is not equal in all directions, but the equator remains the reference circle for latitude.

Geographically, the ekvator passes through oceans and a number of lands across three continents. In the Americas it runs through Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil; in Africa it crosses Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Kenya; in Asia it traverses Indonesia. The line is also a useful reference in navigation, cartography and satellite positioning, and it has a direct influence on climate patterns, as regions near the equator typically experience tropical climates with relatively uniform temperatures year-round and distinctive rainfall regimes driven by tropical convergence zones.

Etymology and usage: the term ekvator is used in several languages for the same concept, with etymological roots in Latin aequator, meaning “maker of equality.” The country named Ecuador derives its name from the equator, reflecting its location close to the 0° line. The concept remains central to geography, meteorology, and earth sciences.