▁of ▁cart ography ▁was ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁a ▁new ▁technique ▁of ▁chart ing ▁with ▁mer id ians , ▁his ▁imag inary ▁north – s outh ▁lines , ▁and ▁par alle ls , ▁his ▁imag inary ▁west – east ▁lines . ▁These ▁axis ▁lines ▁were ▁placed ▁over ▁the ▁map ▁of ▁the ▁earth ▁with ▁their ▁origin ▁in ▁the ▁city ▁of ▁Rh odes ▁and ▁divided ▁the ▁world ▁into ▁se ctors . ▁Then , ▁Er at ost hen es ▁used ▁these ▁earth ▁partitions ▁to ▁reference ▁places ▁on ▁the ▁map . ▁He ▁also ▁divided ▁Earth ▁into ▁five ▁clim atic ▁regions ▁which ▁was ▁proposed ▁at ▁least ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁the ▁late ▁sixth ▁or ▁early ▁fifth ▁century ▁BC ▁by ▁Par men ides : ▁a ▁tor rid ▁zone ▁across ▁the ▁middle , ▁two ▁fr ig id ▁zones ▁at ▁extreme ▁north ▁and ▁south , ▁and ▁two ▁temper ate ▁bands ▁in ▁between . ▁He ▁was ▁likely ▁also ▁the ▁first ▁person ▁to ▁use ▁the ▁word ▁" ge ography ". ▁ ▁Roman ▁Empire ▁ ▁Pom pon ius ▁M ela ▁ ▁Pom pon ius ▁M ela ▁is ▁unique ▁among ▁ancient ▁ge ograph ers ▁in ▁that , ▁after ▁div iding ▁the ▁earth ▁into ▁five ▁zones , ▁of ▁which ▁two ▁only ▁were ▁habit able , ▁he ▁as ser ts ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁ant ich th ones , ▁inhab iting ▁the ▁southern ▁temper ate ▁zone ▁in access ible ▁to ▁the ▁folk ▁of ▁the ▁northern ▁temper ate ▁regions ▁from ▁the ▁un b ear able ▁heat ▁of ▁the ▁interven ing ▁tor rid ▁bel t . ▁On ▁the ▁divisions ▁and ▁boundaries ▁of