Geographic Grid: Latitudes and Longitudes

Geographic Grid: Latitudes and Longitudes

• Lines of latitude are imaginary lines parallel to the Equator.
• Lines of longitude run north-south, passing through the poles.
• The intersection of latitude and longitude lines defines a location on Earth.
• Latitude measures angular distance north or south of the Equator.
• Latitude is measured in degrees, with the Equator being 0 degrees.
• Latitude is calculated based on the angle a location makes with the Earth's center.
• Parallels of latitude are full circles, except for the Equator, which is considered a Great Circle.
• There are 181 parallels of latitude at 1° intervals.
• Key latitudes include:
  • The Equator (0°)
  • The North Pole (90°N)
  • The South Pole (90°S)
  • The Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N)
  • The Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S)

Lines of Latitude

• Lines of latitude are imaginary lines that connect points on Earth having the same latitude, running parallel to the Equator.
• A latitude is the angular distance, measured in degrees, of a location north or south of the Equator.
• Latitudes are parallel to the equator and each other.

Main Latitudes

• The equator is the largest latitude line.
• The north pole is at 90°N
• The south pole at 90°S
• The tropics of cancer and capricorn are located 23.5° north and 23.5° south of the equator, respectively.

Northern and Southern Hemispheres

• The Equator divides the Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
• Each hemisphere is equal in area.

Uses of Latitudes

• Use latitudes to determine locations' position relative to the equator.
• Use latitudes to measure distances from the Equator.
• Use latitudes to divide the Earth into temperature zones.

Lines of Longitude

• Longitude is the angular distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.
• The Prime Meridian is the line of longitude at 0°.
• It passes through Greenwich, England.
• There are 360 lines of longitude at 1° intervals.
• A longitude line is a meridian.
• Longitude lines meet at the poles.

Longitude and Time

• Longitude is used to determine local time.
• If it's noon at a specific longitude, it's also noon at all locations on that same longitude.
• East of the Prime Meridian, gain time, west, subtract time.
• Earth is divided into time zones based on 15° longitude intervals, with a 24-hour standard time system.

International Date Line

• The 180° meridian is the International Date Line.
• Crossing the line eastward subtracts a day, westward adds a day.
• The date line is not a perfectly straight line, it zigzags to avoid countries having different dates.

Locating Places

• Places can be located using latitude and longitude coordinates.
• The latitude and longitude for a specific location can be used to find it on a map or globe.

Great and Small circles

• A great circle is a circle drawn on a sphere that passes through the sphere's center.
• The smallest distance between two points on a sphere is along a great circle.
• Great Circles are used to determine shortest distance between two points on a sphere.