What is latitude and longitude?
We use imaginary lines to help locate where a place is in the world.
- We use lines of latitude to find out how far north or south a place is. These lines run parallel to the Equator.
- There are five major lines of latitude:
- the Arctic Circle (the North Pole)
- the Antarctic Circle (the South Pole)
- the Tropic of Cancer
- the Tropic of Capricorn
- and the Equator.
- We use lines of longitude to find out how far east or west a place is. These lines run from the top of the Earth to the bottom.
Watch: Latitude and longitude explained
What are hemispheres?
The Equator is at the centre of the lines of latitude and is at 0° latitude.
Anything lying south of the Equator is in the Southern Hemisphere and is labelled °S. Anything lying north of the Equator is in the Northern Hemisphere and is labelled °N. The North Pole is 90°N and the South Pole is 90°S.
The Arctic Circle surrounds the North Pole at 66.5°N and the Antarctic Circle surrounds the South Pole at 66.5°S.
The Tropic of Cancer is approximately 23.5°N of the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn is approximately 23.5°S of the Equator.
The line labelled 0° longitude is called the Prime Meridian or the Greenwich Meridian and runs through London. Anything lying east of the Greenwich Meridian is in the Eastern Hemisphere and is labelled °E. Anything lying west of the Greenwich Meridian is in the Western Hemisphere and is labelled °W.
Activity: Quiz – Latitude and longitude
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