What are latitude and longitude?

Latitude lines circle the Earth from east to west. They are also called parallels, because they are aligned to one another and never intersect. They allow us to determine our position north or south of the equator, which is the most well-known parallel. At 0 degrees latitude, the equator equally divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Longitude lines, called meridians, circle the Earth north to south and intersect at the poles. They allow us to determine our position on the Earth east or west of the prime meridian, which is the line of longitude that runs through Greenwich, England. The prime meridian has a longitude of 0 degrees, and it divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

The top image shows latitude lines, which start at the equator (0 degrees latitude) and run east and west, parallel to the equator. Lines of latitude are measured in degrees north or south of the equator, to 90 degrees at the North or South poles. The image below displays lines of longitude, also called meridians, which are imaginary lines that divide the Earth. They run north to south from pole to pole, but they measure the distance east or west. Longitude is measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds. Although latitude lines are always equally spaced, longitude lines are furthest from each other at the equator and meet at the poles. Credit: NOAA.

Where this page came from

This page was imported from NOAA National Ocean Service. A lesson from NOAA's National Ocean Service tutorials; as a work of the United States government, in the public domain.

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