Latitude and Longitude
1
Grid System
Lines of latitude and longitude cover the
entire Earth, allowing us to find any
location.
 The cardinal directions are North,
South, East and West.

Lines of Latitude run East
to West
Lines of Longitude run North
and South.
2
Latitude

Start at equator (0º)

The Equator runs East & West, dividing the Earth into
two equal parts.

Lines of latitude North of the Equator are labeled with an
“N”, while lines of latitude South of the Equator are
labeled with an “S”.
Latitude North
Latitude South
3
Latitude and Longitude
4
Latitude and Longitude
5
Longitude

Start at the Prime Meridian, located at Greenwich, England,
at 0º Longitude.

Ends on the other side of the Earth at 180º Longitude—the
International Date Line.

The United States is located West of the Prime Meridian.

Lines of Longitude west of the Prime Meridian are labeled
with a
“W”, while lines of Longitude East of the Prime Meridian are
labeled with an “E”.
Longitude West of the Prime
Meridian.
Longitude East of the Prime
Meridian.
6
Longitude
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Locating points on the Earth
Using Latitude and Longitude

Lines of Latitude & Longitude are measured in
degrees.

Think back to Global Winds: The Horse Latitudes
are located at 30ºN & 30º S.

Coordinates tell the actual location of a place.
– Example: 30ºN, 96ºW

When giving a location on Earth, list the latitude
coordinates 1st & the longitude coordinates 2nd.
8
Equator
• On your map label the Equator and color it
red.
9
Prime Meridian
• Label the Prime Meridian and color it blue.
10
Label Latitude

Label North, South, East, and West—the cardinal
directions.

Lines of Latitude are shown on the map & they are
spaced 30° apart.

Label the lines of latitude.
– 30° N
– 60° N
– 90° N
30°S
60° S
90° S

Lines of Longitude are shown on the map & they are
spaced 30° apart.

Label the lines of Longitude.
– 30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, 150°, 180°
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EAST
WEST
180 150
120
90
60
30
90 ° N
60 ° N
30 ° N
0°
30 °S
60°S
90° S
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Quiz
1. Lines that run East and West, measured as degrees N & S.
2. Lines that run N & S, measured as degrees E & W.
3. The starting point for latitude.
4. The starting point for longitude.
5. Lines of latitude and longitude are measured in……
6. When stating the location of a given place which coordinate comes
first, longitude or latitude?
7. Which coordinate comes second?
8. What are cardinal directions?
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Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Latitude
Longitude
The Equator
The Prime Meridian
Degrees
Latitude comes first
Longitude comes second
Cardinal Directions are North, South, East and
West.
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