How Globes are Mounted

Most globes are mounted with a meridian which is the centerpiece to holding your globe in its position. In many cases, meridians are numbered in degrees from 0º at the equator to 90º at either pole. Originally, meridians were used to help locate positions on the globe, but since most globes have the longitude and latitude lines on the maps, the numbers on the meridian have become less important. The following are typical examples of meridians you will find on our site.

Semi

The Semi-Meridian is the most common type of meridian found on desktop globes. It encompasses half of the globe attaching at the North and South poles.

This style allows the user to simply rotate the globe left or right.

Full-Swing

This meridian fully surrounds the globe and is attached at the North and South poles. In addition it is attached on the left and right of the meridian to a yolk style piece that attaches to the stand. On floor globes, the meridian typically has tabs on the left and right side of the meridian that rest on the top of the stand.

The benefit to the full swing meridian is that the user can both rotate the globe left or right as well as up and down.

This makes looking at the entire globe easy without having to stand over it to see the top or pick it up to see the bottom. For this purpose the full-swing meridian is typically one of the features most sought after when purchasing a floor standing globe.

Full

The Full Meridian encompasses the entire globe and is attached at the north and south poles. This meridian is stationary and does not move up and down.

The user is simply able to rotate the globe left or right. In most cases, this style of meridian is used on decorative globes in which the intent of the globe is to be placed on a desktop or bookshelf for decor purposes.

Of course the globe still has endless reference value should it be needed.

Inclination

This style is great for people who do not want the surrounding meridian to interfere with the main globe structure.

The inclination mount is simply a post that runs thru the globes north and south pole at an angle.

The user may still rotate the globe left or right. This style makes for a great decorative style for home or office.