Parallels or "Lines of Latitude" and degree readings for latitudes in increments of 30 degrees. Note that the lines are parallel when we look at the earth from the equator.
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. 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. Unlike, latitudes, there is no obvious central longitude. However, in order to measure the position of a location based on the longitude, cartographers and geographers over the course of history have designated different locations as the main longitudinal reference point.
Today, the meridian line through Greenwich, England, is considered as the reference point for longitudes. This line is also known as the Prime Meridian. All the other longitudes are measured and named after the angle they make with respect to the center of the Earth from the intersection of the Meridian and the Equator. A circle of latitude is an imaginary ring linking all points sharing a parallel. The Equator is the line of 0 degrees latitude. Each parallel measures one degree north or south of the Equator, with 90 degrees north of the Equator and 90 degrees south of the Equator.
Like the poles, some circles of latitude are named. The tropics are important geographic locations that mark the northernmost and southernmost latitudes where the sun can be seen directly overhead during a solstice. One degree of latitude, called an arc degree, covers about kilometers 69 miles. Because of the Earth's curvature , the farther the circles are from the Equator, the smaller they are.
At the North and South Poles, arcdegrees are simply points. Degrees of latitude are divided into 60 minutes. To be even more precise, those minutes are divided into 60 seconds. One minute of latitude covers about 1. Using seconds of latitude, global positioning system GPS devices can pinpoint schools, houses, even rooms in either of these towns.
Similar to latitude, the corresponding measurement of distance around the Earth is called longitude. The imaginary lines of latitude and longitude intersect each other, forming a grid that covers the Earth. The points of latitude and longitude are called coordinates , and can be used together to locate any point on Earth. An area of the circle of latitude at 54 40' N was a hotly contested piece of real estate in the 19th century. They are known as "parallels" of latitude, because they run parallel to the equator.
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.
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