Coordinates and Directions on Earth
Aim: How does the latitude and
longitude system work?
Objectives
• Understand the definition of latitude and
longitude
• Use the coordinate system to locate places on
Earth
• Calculate times of day for different time zones
Vocabulary
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Latitude or Parallels
Equator
Longitude or Meridians
Prime Meridian
International Date Line
Time Zones
1. What is Latitude?
a. Lines on a map running parallel
to the equator
b. Also know as parallels
c. Measured in degrees north and
south of equator
• 0o equator to 90o N or 90o S
• Subdivided into minutes and
seconds
• Increasing latitude = toward
the poles
• decreasing latitude = toward
the equator
2. How does latitude work?
• Latitude is equal to the
angle between the exact
center of Earth and your
location.
• The equator separates
the Earth into the N and S
hemispheres.
Latitude – angle N or S of center of Earth
3. What is longitude?
• Semicircles on a map that
connect the North and
South poles.
• Also called meridians
• Meridians intersect at the
poles, they are NOT parallel
like latitude
• Longitude is the angular
distance measured from the
prime meridian to your
location
4. How does longitude work?
• 0o meridian is called the
prime meridian
running through
Greenwich, England
• 180o meridian is the
international date line
• Increasing longitude from
0o to 180o = western
hemisphere
• Decreasing longitude from
180o to 0o = eastern
hemisphere
5. How are latitude and longitude coordinates
used to pinpoint locations on Earth?
RULES:
1. Latitude, Longitude
2. Both numbers must have a degree symbol and
direction
Examples….find the coordinates of:
A ___________
B____________ C ____________
D ___________
X ___________
Z ____________
6. Degrees are divided into 60 minutes. So for a
location halfway between 120o W and 121o W,
the longitude would be written 120o,30’W.