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Latitude and Longitude

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Latitude and Longitude■Lines of Latitude and

Longitude are imaginary lines that encircle the Earth in either an East- West direction or in a North-South direction

■Together they form a grid which can be used to identify locations on the Earth’s surface

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Latitude and Longitude

■When using these lines to find a location the coordinates are always given latitude first and then longitude

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Latitude

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Latitude■Latitude is the name for a group of

imaginary lines that run parallel to the Equator■The Equator is the 0 degree line and

splits the earth into two equal halves –northern and southern hemispheres■Each hemisphere is divided into 90

degrees, from the Equator to the Pole

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Latitude

■When finding a point in the Northern hemisphere the latitude is given as (x) degrees N■For a point in the Southern

hemisphere the coordinates would be (x) degrees S

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Latitude

■Lines of latitude get smaller as they get further north because the distance around the Earth decreases■At the Poles the latitude is 90 degrees

and the circular distance is 0km, each Pole being just a single point

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Latitude

■There are several major lines of Latitude other than the Equator and the Poles■They are the Tropic of Cancer, the

Tropic of Capricorn, the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle

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Longitude

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Longitude

■Lines of longitude run north-south around the planet■They begin at the Prime Meridian and

split the Earth into East and West hemispheres■There are 180 degrees in each

hemisphere

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Longitude

■When locating a point in the Eastern hemisphere the longitude is given as (x) degrees E■For a point in the Western

hemisphere the longitude would be (x) degrees W

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Longitude

■All lines of longitude are the same length■There is only one important line of

Longitude other than the Prime Meridian – the International Date Line■This is the 180 degree line in both

directions

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Latitude and LongitudeFinding Locations

■To use latitude and longitude to find a location you simply follow the lines until they meet at the point you are looking for

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Latitude and LongitudeFinding Locations

■The latitude is always the first coordinate given

■It will be a number between 0 and 90 degrees and will be followed by either an N or an S, depending on which hemisphere the location is in

■Longitude is always the second number and will be between 0 and 180 degrees, followed by either an E or a W

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Latitude and LongitudeFinding Locations

■Not all points are located neatly at the points where the lines intersect■To find locations between the points

each degree is split into 60 smaller sections called minutes■For example, the coordinates for

Orono are 43 59N 78 36W

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Latitude and LongitudeFinding Locations

■The coordinates for Orono mean that the village is located 43 degrees and 59 minutes north of the Equator and 78 degrees and 36 minutes west of the Prime Meridian

■If you are using a GPS device there will be an additional set of numbers for each coordinate, called seconds

■Seconds subdivide the minutes into even smaller sections and provide additional accuracy