Longitude is the measurement east or west of the prime meridian. Longitude is measured by imaginary lines that run around the Earth vertically (up and down) and meet at the North and South Poles. These lines are known as meridians.
Is the longitude horizontal or vertical?
Many lines that run vertical and horizontal, and form a grid pattern upon a map break up maps into sections. The horizontal lines are called lines of latitude and the vertical lines are called lines of longitude .
Do lines of longitude run horizontal?
One measures the distance from the equator, the other from the Prime Meridian. This illustration of Earth is overlaid with a grid of latitude and longitude. The horizontal lines are latitude and the vertical lines are longitude.
Are longitude straight lines?
In a map the curve of the earth is represented on a flat surface. This makes the longitude lines appear straight . ... All of the longitude lines curve together at the points of the north and south poles.
Which way do latitude lines run horizontally?
Lines of latitude run east and west . Lines of latitude run horizontally around the Earth and tell you how far north or south you are from the Equator. Image: NASA, public domain. To remember, think of the rungs of a ladder (which sounds somewhat similar to latitude) which run across, connecting the two longer pieces.
What are the 2 main lines of longitude?
1. Prime Meridian = Longitude 0 o (Greenwich Meridian). 2. International Date Line (Longitude 180 o ) .
Why there are 180 latitudes and 360 longitudes?
Longitude lines runs from North to south pole means a complete circles and hence covers 360 degrees and that is why there are 360 longitudes. ... Each section from equator to pole is 90 degrees and two poles have 2 quarters of circle/globe hence 90X2 180 lattitudes. adding the Equator it becomes 181 latitudes.
Is latitude up or sideways?
Lines of latitude run horizontally around the Earth and tell you how far north or south you are from the Equator. ... As the rungs go up and down a ladder, so do the lines of latitude. The equator, which is a zero degree latitude, marks the middle of the earth and lines of latitude spread out to both poles.
What is zero longitude called?
The prime meridian is the line of 0° longitude, the starting point for measuring distance both east and west around the Earth. The prime meridian is arbitrary, meaning it could be chosen to be anywhere. 6 – 12+ Earth Science, Geography.
Are lines of latitude?
Latitude lines are geographical coordinates that are used to specify the north and south sides of the Earth . Lines of latitude, also called parallels, run from east to west in circles parallel to the equator. They run perpendicular to the lines of longitude, which run from the north to the south.
Are longitude lines parallel?
Lines of Longitude are referred to as Meridians of Longitude. These lines are not parallel to each other . They come closer and closer to each other as they approach the north and south poles, where they all meet. Zero degrees longitude is referred to as the Prime Meridian, and it passes through Greenwich England.
What comes first latitude or longitude?
Handy tip: when giving a co-ordinate, latitude (north or south) always precedes longitude (east or west) . Latitude and longitude are divided in degrees (°), minutes (‘) and seconds (“).
What is the difference between altitude and latitude?
Latitude refers to the distance of a location on Earth's surface from the equator in relation to the North and South poles (e.g., Florida has a lower latitude than Maine); altitude is defined as how high a location is above sea level (think: a city in the mountains has a high altitude).
What are the 7 major lines of longitude?
- North Pole.
- Arctic Circle.
- Tropic of Cancer.
- Equator.
- Tropic of Capricorn.
- Antarctic circle.
- South Pole.
What distance is 1 degree of longitude?
One-degree of longitude equals 288,200 feet (54.6 miles) , one minute equals 4,800 feet (0.91 mile), and one second equals 80 feet.
How many latitudes are there in total?
Lines of latitude are called parallels and in total there are 180 degrees of latitude. The distance between each degree of latitude is about 69 miles (110 kilometers).
