Coordinate System Quiz

Understanding the Coordinate System: Latitude, Longitude, Equator, and Prime Meridian

• The coordinate system is used to locate places on the earth's surface with lines of latitude and longitude forming a giant grid over the earth.
• Latitude lines measure north or south of the equator, which splits the earth into the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere, and are also known as parallels of latitude.
• The equator is the center between north and south, splitting the earth into two hemispheres, and is located at 0° latitude.
• Longitude lines extend north and south, are imaginary, and are measured in degrees from the Prime Meridian, which serves as a reference point for measuring distance east or west.
• The Prime Meridian is an arbitrary line, agreed upon by international agreement as the line running through Greenwich, England, separating the Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere.
• To describe the location using the coordinate system, latitude is written or given first, followed by longitude.
• GPS devices use data from satellites orbiting the Earth to locate places on our planet and describe the location using latitude and longitude coordinates.
• The climate of a country is affected by its latitudinal position, with countries closer to the equator having a warmer climate and those farther away having a colder climate.
• Countries within the tropical zone, bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, have a warm climate.
• Countries in the Polar Regions, within the Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle, have a cold climate.
• Countries between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle, and between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle, have a temperate climate.
• The intersection of latitude and longitude coordinates determines the location of a place on the earth's surface.