Name:
Period:
Due Date:
Where in the World is Da Ville, New York?
Background Information:
Virtually all maps have lines of longitude and latitude expressed on them. Together these sets of lines create an
imaginary grid that can be used to locate any point on earth.
A line of longitude is also called a meridian, derived from the Latin, from meri, a variation of "medius" which
means "middle", and diem, meaning "day." The word once meant "noon", and times of the day before noon
were known as "ante meridian", while times after it were "post meridian." Today's abbreviations a.m. and p.m.
come from these terms, and the Sun at noon was said to be "passing meridian". All points on the same line of
longitude experienced noon (and any other hour) at the same time and were therefore said to be on the same
"meridian line", which became "meridian" for short.
The meridians of longitude run from north to south on a globe from pole to
pole and are measured in degrees. Each degree is divided into 60 parts called
minutes. Each minute is divided into 60 seconds of longitude. If you were to
cut along the meridians of an orange you would be cutting wedges. 0 degrees
longitude is called the prime meridian and is the longitude line that runs
through Greenwich, England. The rest of the meridians run 180 degrees to the
east and 180 degrees to the west of the prime meridian. For example, Da Ville
has a longitude of almost 73 degrees west, which means, if you headed west
from Greenwich you would reach the same longitude as Da Ville once you had
come to y our 73rd line of longitude.
Longitude also has to do with time difference across the world. Because the Earth rotates approximately 150
per hour and rotates from the west to the east, at any moment one line of longitude--"the noon meridian"-faces the Sun, and at that moment, it will be noon everywhere on it. When at your location the time is 12 noon,
15° to the east the time is 1 p.m., for that is the meridian which faced the Sun an hour ago. On the other hand,
15° to the west the time is 11 a.m., for in an hour's time, that meridian will face the Sun and experience noon.
The latitude lines, or parallels, run around a globe from east to west. They are also
measured in degrees, which in turn are divided into minutes, which in turn are
divided into seconds. The parallel that lies at 0 degrees of latitude is called the
equator. The rest of the parallels run 90 degrees north of or 90 degrees south of the
equator. If you were to cut along the parallels of an orange you would be cutting
disks. The equator would be the largest disk, while the poles would be just dots.
To differentiate between the two you can remember that the lines that run parallel
to one another are called parallels or lines of latitude.
For example, Da Ville’s latitude is about 41 degrees north, which means, if you headed north from the equator
you would reach the same latitude as Da Ville once you had come to about the 41st line of latitude.
Modified from www.newyorkscienceteacher.org by K.De Luccia/C.Carroll/Mallozzi 2011-2012
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Information on latitude and longitude is typically written something like this (these are Da Ville’s map
coordinates): 41° 25' 40" N / 74° 09' 58" W. The latitude comes first: 41° 25’ 40”N (read 41 degrees 25 minutes
and 40 seconds north) and in this case Da Ville lies 41 degrees and 25 minutes north of the equator. The
longitude comes second: 74° 09’ 58”W (read 74 degrees 09 minutes and 58 seconds west) and in this case Da
Ville lies 74 degrees and 09 minutes west of the prime meridian.
One degree latitude equals approximately 69 miles or 111km at the equator. Since the lines of latitude are
parallel, one degree at the North and South poles also equals approximately 69 miles or 111km. However, one
degree of longitude at the equator equals approximately 69 miles or 111km, and approx. 0 miles or 0 km at the
poles.
Part A:
Directions - Using the background information, your Earth Science Reference Tables, your notes, or any other
sources, complete the following sentences. Insert the phrase that best fits. It is possible you will use one
word or phrase more than once.
1. The lines running north-south represent degrees of ________________.
a. They are measured from the Prime Meridian in a ________________
and______________ direction. These lines are known also as__________________.
2. The lines running east-west represent degrees of _________________.
a. They are measured from the equator in an _________________and
____________________ direction. These lines are known also as
____________________.
3. The geographic grid used on the globe is based on the division of a circle in degrees.
Each degree is divided into ____________________ equal parts called minutes, and each
minute into ____________________equal parts called ____________________.
4. Latitude is numbered from ____________________ degrees at the equator to
____________________degrees at either pole.
5. Longitude is numbered from ____________________ degrees at the prime meridian to
____________________ degrees at the International Date Line.
6. A degree of latitude is approximately ____________________ miles at the equator and
____________________ miles at the poles.
A degree of longitude is approximately ________________ miles at the equator and
____________ miles at the poles.
7. The approximate Latitude of Da Ville is
.
8. The approximate Longitude of Da Ville is
.
Modified from www.newyorkscienceteacher.org by K.De Luccia/C.Carroll/Mallozzi 2011-2012
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PART B:
Directions - Use the grid below to answer the following questions.
180o
0o
90o
90o
90o
North
West
180o
90o
North
East
A
Equator (0o)
Equator (0o)
B
South
East
South
West
90o
180o
90o
Prime
Meridian
90o
90o
180o
1. What are the coordinates of point A?
2. Locate the same coordinates on a globe. In what country is point A located?
3. What are the coordinates of point B?
4. Locate the same coordinates on the globe. In what country is point B located?
5. Locate a point at 10 ° S and 45 ° W, mark it CB on the map above.
6. Locate a point at 20 ° N and 75 ° E, mark it D on the map above.
7. Mark the location of Da Ville, NY on the grid using the letter N.
8. What is the time difference between point A and point B?
9. Carmen Sandiego has been spotted at 41° 54' 0" N / 12° 29' 0" E. Mark this location on the map above
with a CS, then using a map resource, determine the city and country she is currently in?
___________________
Extra: Name 1 famous tourist attraction in this city!
________________________
Modified from www.newyorkscienceteacher.org by K.De Luccia/C.Carroll/Mallozzi 2011-2012
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Part C:
Directions - Determine the Latitude and Longitude for the following cities in New York State using p. 2-3 of
your Earth Science Reference Tables:
Latitude values go first. They must have a ‘N’ or a ‘S’ or it’s wrong!
Longitude values go second. They must have a ‘W’ or an ‘E’ or it’s wrong!
Round all values to the nearest minute!
City Name
Jamestown
Elmira
Ithaca
Mt. Marcy
Latitude
42º 08’ N
Longitude
79º 15’ W
City Name
Kingston
Old Forge
Massena
Riverhead
Latitude
Longitude
Determine which city is located at the following points.
Lat/Long
430 24’ N, 760 30’ W
City Name
42o 48’ N, 78o 48’ W
Lat/Long
430 06’ N, 790 01’ W
City Name
44º 39’ N, 73º 18’ W
1. Using a ruler, measure and record how many centimeters are between Jamestown and Elmira.
______________________ cm
a. Using the scale on the right hand side of the map and value you calculate from above,
what is the real distance between the two cities?
2. What large city’s latitude is similar to that of Syracuse, NY? _____________________________
a. What is this city’s latitude and longitude?
Latitude__________________
Longitude________________
3. Pick a city in the Allegheny Plateau and record its latitude and longitude.
City Name: _________________________
Latitude: ___________________________
Longitude: _________________________
Modified from www.newyorkscienceteacher.org by K.De Luccia/C.Carroll/Mallozzi 2011-2012
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