Latitude and Longitude
Grid System
 Lines of latitude and longitude cover the entire earth.
 They allow us to find any location on Earth.
 Lines of latitude and longitude are noted with cardinal
directions.
 The cardinal directions are North, South, East and
West
Lines of Latitude run East
to West
Lines of Longitude run North
and South.
Latitude
 The starting point for measuring latitude is the Equator.
 The Equator is a line of latitude (0*).
 The Equator runs East and West and divides the Earth into two
equal parts.
 Lines of latitude North of the Equator are labeled with an “N”.
 Lines of latitude South of the Equator are labeled with an “S”.
 You already know the location of several lines of latitude from
studying Global Winds.
Latitude North
Latitude South
Longitude
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The starting point for measuring Longitude is the Prime Meridian.
The Prime Meridian is located at Greenwich, England.
The Prime Meridian is at 0* Longitude.
The ending point for the Prime Meridian is on the other side of the
Earth and is located at 180* Longitude.
The United States is located West of the Prime Meridian.
Lines of Longitude west of the Prime Meridian are labeled with a
“W”.
Lines of Longitude East of the Prime Meridian are labeled with an “E”.
Longitude West of the Prime
Meridian.
Longitude East of the Prime
Meridian.
Locating points on the Earth
Using Latitude and Longitude
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Lines of Latitude and Longitude are measured in
degrees.
Think back to Global Winds: The Horse Latitudes
are located at 30* N and 30* S.
They are located North and South of the Equator.
Coordinates tell the actual location of a place.
30*N, 96*W
When giving a location on Earth, you give the
latitude coordinates first and you give the
longitude coordinates second.
Equator
Prime Meridian
Latitude South is shown as - 65 S
Longitude West is shown as - 35 W
Find your house!!
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http://www.juggling.org/bin/un.cgi/mapfind
Quiz
1. Lines that run East and West, noted as degrees N and S.
2. Lines that run North and South, noted as degrees E and W.
3. The starting point for Latitude.
4. The starting point for Longitude.
5. Lines of latitude and longitude are measured in……
6. When stating the location of a given place which coordinate
comes first, longitude or latitude?
7. Which coordinate comes second?
8. What are cardinal directions?
Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Latitude
Longitude
The Equator
The Prime Meridian
Degrees
Latitude comes first
Longitude comes second
Cardinal Directions are North, South, East and
West.