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Where in the World?
Carol Peterson
(Geography, Science)
Latitude and Longitude
One way we locate places on the earth is by latitude and longitude – imaginary lines that divide the earth into sections.
Latitude
Imagine slicing a solid ball in half. That would create two pieces with a flat surface on one end of each. If Earth were that ball, the equator would be like the flat circle. Latitude lines are imaginary lines that are parallel to the equator, as if the earth were sliced into circles, each circle getting smaller towards the poles.
We number latitude lines starting with zero at the equator according to the number of degrees north (N) or south (S) of the equator. The number of degrees has to do with the angle of the location in relation to the equator.
Angles? Earth is a ball shape. How can it have angles?
Imagine we can see through the earth. The circle going through the earth at the equator is one plane. That means it has no height or depth so there is no angle FROM the equator TO the equator. Put a different way, the angle FROM the equator TO the equator is zero.
The angle from the equator to the North Pole, however, makes a 90-degree angle. Therefore the latitude at the North Pole is 90 degrees North. Locations between zero and 90 represent angles relative to the equator.
Longitude
Longitude lines also help locate points on the earth. Longitude lines go from pole to pole like strips of an orange peel – wider at the equator and narrower towards the poles. Longitudes measure from one point on the earth around to another.
The equator goes completely around the earth to form a circle. In mathematics, every circle has 360 degrees that take you from the beginning of the circle, all the way back to the beginning. The DISTANCE from one point on that circle to another, is that number of degrees around the circle. For historical reasons, we measure longitude as the number of degrees east (E) or west (W) of the Royal Astronomical Observatory in Greenwich, England.
Where in the World Are We? (Math, Geography)
Find out the latitude and longitude of your town by looking it up or estimating it on a map. Then switch the N/S latitude and E/W longitude. For example, if your town is located at 40 N latitude and 125 W longitude, check to see what is at 40 S latitude and 125 W longitude. What is at 40 N latitude and 125 E longitude? Then try 40 S latitude and 125 E longitude.
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