Basic Skills:

Latitude and Longitude

DEFINITIONS:

Latitude

Measurement of distance in degrees north or south of the Equator; from the Latin latus, meaning "wide".

Longitude

Measurement of distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian; from the Latin longus, meaning "length".

EXPLORES! ASKS!

Why do these words have Latin origins?

Historical note- Eratosthenes was one of the first cartographers to place east-west lines and north-south lines on maps.

WHERE ARE YOU?

The Earth's circumference is divided into 360 degrees (you should keep a world globe handy when introducing these topics), each degree represented by an imaginary line running either east-west or north-south on the surface of the Earth. The prime meridian is the imaginary line which runs through the geographic North Pole to the geographic South Pole, passing through Greenwich England. The prime meridian is defined as 0 degE and 0 degW. Each meridian (longitude line) to the west of Greenwich is labeled 1-180 degW, while each meridian to the east of Greenwich is labeled 1-180 degE.

EXPLORES! ASKS!

Why was Greenwich, England selected as 0 degE and 0 degW?

Since the Earth's circumference (a complete circle) is 360 degrees, then directly opposite the prime meridian is a meridian which can be labeled both as 180 degE and 180 degW. This meridian is called the International Date Line. Likewise, the Equator is 0 degN and 0 degS latitude. The geographic North Pole is 90 degN latitude, while the South Pole is 90 degS latitude.

EXPLORES! ASKS!

Why is 180 degE and 180 degW labeled the International Date Line?

Therefore, if you are trying to describe to anyone exactly where you're located on the planet Earth, latitude and longitude will provide you with a means of answering the question "Where are you?".

Student Activities: Try Understanding latitude and longitude.