Latitude and longitude
LATITUDE
Latitude is the distance of a point on the earth’s surface measured in degrees north or south of the equator.
Lines of latitude are drawn parallel to the equator. On a globe they are parallel circles, hence they are also called Parallels of latitude. The Equator is the longest line of latitude. The Equator is the only line of latitude that is a great circle. It divides the earth into two halves. Lines of latitude never meet.
Lines of latitude are drawn at intervals of 1o . The average distance between each parallel is 111km or 69 miles. ( circumference of the earth divided by the number of degrees in a circle - 40,075 km. / 360 = 111 km / 24,902 miles / 360 = 69 miles) Lines of latitude become shorter as they approach the poles.
Each latitude is numbered in degrees from 0° to 90° north and south. Zero degrees is the equator, the imaginary line which divides our planet into the northern and southern hemispheres. The equator is the only line of latitude that is a great circle. 90° north is the North Pole and 90° south is the South Pole. All together there are 180 lines of latitude.
Of the 180 lines of latitude 7 of them have names. Along with the equator (0 degree) they are the:
(a) Arctic Circle (66 1/2 degree N)
(b) Antarctic Circle (66 1/2 degree S)
(c) Tropic of Cancer (23 1/2 degree N)
(d) Tropic of Capricorn (23 1/2 degree S)
(e) North Pole (90 degree N)
(f) South Pole (90 degree S)
Latitude is the distance of a point on the earth’s surface measured in degrees north or south of the equator.
Lines of latitude are drawn parallel to the equator. On a globe they are parallel circles, hence they are also called Parallels of latitude. The Equator is the longest line of latitude. The Equator is the only line of latitude that is a great circle. It divides the earth into two halves. Lines of latitude never meet.
Lines of latitude are drawn at intervals of 1o . The average distance between each parallel is 111km or 69 miles. ( circumference of the earth divided by the number of degrees in a circle - 40,075 km. / 360 = 111 km / 24,902 miles / 360 = 69 miles) Lines of latitude become shorter as they approach the poles.
Each latitude is numbered in degrees from 0° to 90° north and south. Zero degrees is the equator, the imaginary line which divides our planet into the northern and southern hemispheres. The equator is the only line of latitude that is a great circle. 90° north is the North Pole and 90° south is the South Pole. All together there are 180 lines of latitude.
Of the 180 lines of latitude 7 of them have names. Along with the equator (0 degree) they are the:
(a) Arctic Circle (66 1/2 degree N)
(b) Antarctic Circle (66 1/2 degree S)
(c) Tropic of Cancer (23 1/2 degree N)
(d) Tropic of Capricorn (23 1/2 degree S)
(e) North Pole (90 degree N)
(f) South Pole (90 degree S)
LONGITUDE
Longitude is the distance of a place east or west of the Prime meridian or Greenwich Meridian.
Lines of longitude run from the North Pole to the South Pole. On a globe longitude lines are shown as a series of semi-circle that run from pole to pole. All lines of longitude are also called meridians. Each is also a great circle. (great circle cut the earth into equal halves)
The prime meridian was officially established as zero degrees longitude at an international conference in 1884. Since the United Kingdom was a major colonial power and a major navigational power of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, their maps and navigational charts with the prime meridian passing through Greenwich were adopted as their Prime Meridians. The establishment of the prime meridian in Greenwich in 1884 permanently established the system of latitude and longitude and time zones that we use to this day.
There are 360 lines of longitude. There are 180 lines to west of the Prime Meridian and 180 lines to the east of the Prime Meridians. The 180 degree line of longitude marks the International Date Line. The International Date Line (IDL) is an imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, established by the International Date Line of 1884, that runs from the north to the south pole and separates one calendar day from the next.
Lines of longitude are drawn at intervals of 1 degree . The average distance between each meridian at the equator is 111km or 69 miles. ( circumference of the earth divided by the number of degrees in a circle - 40,075 km. / 360 = 111 km / 24,902 miles / 360 = 69 miles). The distance between each meridians get smaller as they approach the poles.
Of the 360 lines of latitude only two have names. These are:
(a) Prime Meridian or Greenwich Meridian (0 degree)
(b) International Date Line (180 degree)
Longitude is the distance of a place east or west of the Prime meridian or Greenwich Meridian.
Lines of longitude run from the North Pole to the South Pole. On a globe longitude lines are shown as a series of semi-circle that run from pole to pole. All lines of longitude are also called meridians. Each is also a great circle. (great circle cut the earth into equal halves)
The prime meridian was officially established as zero degrees longitude at an international conference in 1884. Since the United Kingdom was a major colonial power and a major navigational power of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, their maps and navigational charts with the prime meridian passing through Greenwich were adopted as their Prime Meridians. The establishment of the prime meridian in Greenwich in 1884 permanently established the system of latitude and longitude and time zones that we use to this day.
There are 360 lines of longitude. There are 180 lines to west of the Prime Meridian and 180 lines to the east of the Prime Meridians. The 180 degree line of longitude marks the International Date Line. The International Date Line (IDL) is an imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, established by the International Date Line of 1884, that runs from the north to the south pole and separates one calendar day from the next.
Lines of longitude are drawn at intervals of 1 degree . The average distance between each meridian at the equator is 111km or 69 miles. ( circumference of the earth divided by the number of degrees in a circle - 40,075 km. / 360 = 111 km / 24,902 miles / 360 = 69 miles). The distance between each meridians get smaller as they approach the poles.
Of the 360 lines of latitude only two have names. These are:
(a) Prime Meridian or Greenwich Meridian (0 degree)
(b) International Date Line (180 degree)