LATITUDE



drawn east to west to
show
distances
north or south of the
Equator (0 degrees)
Equator divides the
Earth into the Northern
and the Southern
Hemispheres
Horizontal lines on
maps
LONGITUDE
•
•
•
drawn North-South from
pole to pole to show
distances East and West
of the Prime Meridian (0
degrees)
The Prime Meridian
(running through
Greenwich, UK), divides
the Earth into the Eastern
and Western
Hemispheres
Vertical lines on maps
About
latitude . . .
North
Pole (90 degrees N)
South Pole (90 degrees S)
Tropic of Cancer
(23.5 degrees N) On June 21st
the sun is directly overhead
Tropic of Capricorn
(23.5 degrees S) On Dec. 21st
the sun is directly overhead
Arctic Circle
(66.5 degrees N)
Antarctic Circle
(66.5 degrees S)
Each degree is approximately
110 km of land distance
Canada is in the Northern
Hemisphere
About
Longitude…..
The
Prime Meridian passes
through Greenwich, England.
(0 degrees)
The
International Date Line
is 180 degrees from the Prime
Meridian. This is where new
days begin.
Longitude
tells how far east
or west you are travelling
from the Prime Meridian
Canada
is in the Western
Hemisphere
The
distance around the
Earth is 40,000 km
 Each degree of latitude or longitude can be separated into 60 equal
units called minutes.
 Always begin with latitude and determine the number of degrees
north of the Equator you are (in the Northern Hemisphere, of course).
 Once you have the degrees north, determine the number of minutes
as well. You should then have a number of degrees and minutes
North.
 Next, determine the degrees west of the Prime Meridian you have
travelled (in the Western Hemisphere). Then, you must also identify
the number of minutes as well. You should then have a number of
degrees and minutes West.
The correct format is: ___◦ ___’ N ___◦ ___’ W
 You should try to be as accurate as possible. I will allow a margin
of +/- 5 minutes error just in case you and I don’t agree.