Southern Hemisphere

Hello there. When it is cold and snowy where you live, I am warm and sunny. Children play on my sandy beaches and splash in my sparkly water. At night, my stars twinkle in different shapes, like a special diamond cross in the big, dark sky. It feels a little like being upside-down. I am the whole bottom half of our amazing planet Earth. I am the Southern Hemisphere.

Lots of wonderful animals live here with me. Bouncy kangaroos hop, hop, hop across my land in a place called Australia. And way down south where it is very chilly, waddly penguins slide on the ice. A long, long time ago, brave people came to visit me in big boats. In the year 1519, a sailor named Ferdinand Magellan started a big trip to sail all the way around the world. He was one of the first to see my amazing oceans. Many years later, in the 1770s, another brave sailor named Captain James Cook sailed his ships very far south. He drew pictures called maps so everyone could learn about my lands and seas.

Many wonderful places like South America, Australia, and chilly Antarctica are all a part of me. People from all over the world live here, laughing and playing under my warm sun. Even though I am the 'bottom' half of the world, I am connected to the top half. We all share the same big, beautiful home. It's fun to know that while you are sleeping, children here are just waking up to a brand new day. I am here to remind you that we are all friends on one big, wonderful planet.