Latitude and Longitude
Latitude
• Latitude lines are imaginary horizontal
lines on a world or large area map.
Latitude lines separate the world into
Northern and Southern hemispheres and
range between 0 degrees at the Equator
and 90 degrees at the North and South
Poles.
Longitude
• Longitude lines are imaginary vertical
lines on a world or large area map.
Longitude lines separate the world into
the Eastern and Western hemispheres
and range between 0 degrees at the
Greenwich Meridian (also known as the
Prime Meridian) and 180 degrees east
and west of Greenwich at the
International Date Line.
• Each degree of latitude and longitude is
subdivided into 60 equal parts called
minutes and each minute is divided into
60 equal parts called seconds. On the
surface of earth, one degree of either
latitude or longitude is about 110 km (69
miles) although it is slightly more at the
poles as the earth is not a perfect sphere.
Latitude and Longitude
• The earth is divided into lots of imaginary
lines called latitude and longitude.
Lines
• Longitude lines run north and south.
• Latitude lines run east and west.
• The lines measure distances in degrees.
Latitude
Longitude
Where is 0 degree?
• The equator is 0 degree latitude.
• It is an imaginary belt that runs halfway
point between the North Pole and the
South Pole.
Equator
PM
E
R
R
II
D
M
I
EA
N
Where is 0 degree?
• The prime meridian is 0 degrees longitude.
This imaginary line runs through the United
Kingdom, France, Spain, western Africa, and
Antarctica.
Latitude & Longitude
Hemispheres
• By using the equator and prime
meridian, we can divide the
world into four hemispheres,
north, south, east, and west.
Latitude and Longitude….
•
•
•
•
•
Latitude lines
run across the map
measured in degrees
north and south
of the Equator
they are parallel
decrease in length
towards the Poles
•
•
•
•
•
Longitude lines
run up and down the
map
measured in degrees
east and west
of the Greenwich
Meridian
they converge at the
Poles
they are all the same
length
Important Lines of Latitude and
Longitude
West
0º
North
0º
Tropic of Cancer
Equator
23½º Tropic of Capricorn
66½º
South
Antarctic Circle
International Date Line
23½º
180º
Arctic Circle
Greenwich Meridian
66½º
East
What are the red lines on this map called?
Latitude
Longitude
What are the red lines on this map called?
Latitude
Longitude
Latitude and longitude
Match the places with the correct latitude and longitude.
20ºS 140ºE
4
5
3
1
2
2
28ºS 20ºE
1
30ºN 90ºE
5
4
40ºN 120ºW
30ºS 80ºW
3
Latitude and longitude
b
c
e
f
a
d
g
Write down the latitude and longitude of these places.
Latitude and Longitude Resources
• A Printable Latitude & Longitude Map of
the World
• Latitude and Longitude Quiz
• http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/k9mod/Mapskill
/mod3fl5.swf Try this interactive
• http://www.kidsgeo.com/geographygames/latitude-longitude-map-game.php
Try this game
Which has the higher IQ, latitude or
longitude?
• Longitude, it has 360 degrees!