One simple way to visualize this might be to think about having imaginary horizontal "hula hoops" around the earth, with the biggest hoop around the equator, and then progressively smaller ones stacked above and below it to reach the North and South Poles. Can you think of other ways to visualize the parallels of Latitude? Think about having imaginary horizontal "hula hoops" around the earth, with the biggest hoop around the equator, and then progressively smaller ones stacked above and below it to reach the North and South Poles.
Latitude lines are a numerical way to measure how far north or south of the equator a place is located. The equator is the starting point for measuring latitude--that's why it's marked as 0 degrees latitude. The number of latitude degrees will be larger the further away from the equator the place is located, all the way up to 90 degrees latitude at the poles.
Places in both the Arctic and Antarctic circles experience the Midnight Sun and polar night. It marks the northern-most position on the Earth, where the Sun is directly overhead at least once a year.
It is the southern-most position on the globe, where the Sun is directly overhead during the December Solstice. Sometimes, latitudes north of the Equator are denoted by a positive sign. Latitudes south of the Equator are given negative values. This eliminates the need to add whether the specified latitude is north or south of the Equator.
Longitudes are geographical positioning markers that run from the geographical North Pole to the geographical South Pole, intersecting the Equator. They meet at both Poles, and specify the east-west position of a location.
Longitudes are, therefore, imaginary circles that intersect the North and South Poles and the Equator. Half of a longitudinal circle is known as a Meridian. Meridians are perpendicular to every latitude.
The number of latitude degrees will be larger the further away from the equator the place is located, all the way up to 90 degrees latitude at the poles. As can be seen from the diagram below there are four other major lines of latitudes that are usually found and marked on maps and globes. Lines of Longitude Longitudes are imaginary vertical lines running from north to south meeting at the Poles. They show how east or west a place is from the main line of longitude known as the Prime Meridian.
As the vertical starting point for longitude, the Prime Meridian is numbered 0 degrees longitude. The degree line is a single vertical line called the International Date Line , and it is directly opposite of the Prime Meridian. Now watch this video which explains clearly why and how we use lines of latitude and longitude to locate places on maps.
Then work out the exercise below. Say if the following statements about latitudes and longitudes are true or false. If we look at them from the poles, they appear circular.
The latitude is the angle formed by a line going from the center of the earth to the equator at the point on the equator that is closed to the point of interest and another line that goes from the center of the earth to the parallel that goes through the point of interest.
Geospatial Activities. Latitude and Longitude When we describe the Earth in spherical coordinates it is called Geographic, or Un-projected. Merdians and Parallels You've seen lines running across maps your whole life and may not have noticed them.
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