Download Learning About Latitude and Longitude

Miss Lynch
6th Grade Social Studies
Latitude lines run
from east to west.
 Latitude measures
distance north or
south from the
equator.
 Lines of latitude are
also called parallels.
 Latitude is measured
in degrees.


Latitude is measured
from 0° to 90° north or
south from the equator.
 The
equator marks
0° latitude.
 The North Pole is
90°N latitude.
 The South Pole is
90°S latitude.
A
Great Circle is a circle on the surface of
the earth that divides the earth into 2 equal
halves.
 The equator is the only line of latitude that
is a Great Circle.

ALL lines of longitude are Great Circles
 All
lines of
longitude are
Great Circles.
 ALL lines of
longitude meet at
the North and
South Poles.
 Lines of longitude
ARE NOT parallel
because they meet
at the poles.
 Lines
of longitude measure distance east and
west of the Prime Meridian.
 The International Date Line 180° longitude; it
is neither east nor west.
 The
length of a degree of longitude is
approximately 69 miles near the equator.
 The length of a degree of longitude gradually
decreases as it nears the poles. At 60°N
latitude, a degree of longitude is approximately 35
miles. At the poles, the value of a degree of
longitude is 0.
 The
distance from the Prime Meridian west
to the International Date Line is 180°.
 The distance from the Prime Meridian east to the
International Date Line in 180°.




Latitude is the first
number, followed by a N
or S. (i.e. 45°N,
120°W)
Longitude is the second
number, followed by a E
or W. (i.e. 65°S, 95°E)
Latitude is found by
climbing up from the
equator to your given
point/location.
Longitude is found by
walking across till you
run into your point.
 http://video.about.com/geography/Latitude
-and-Longitude.htm