Latitude and Longitude Learn to understand the latitude

Latitude and Longitude Learn to understand the latitude and longitude lines running across your maps and globes

Where On Earth Are We? The ancient Babylonians originally divided any circle or sphere into 360 degrees. There are 180 degrees between any two sides of a circle or sphere. The north and south poles are 180 degrees apart from one another, and both are 90 degrees from the equator. The equator is the imaginary line that is as far from the North Pole as it is from the South Pole.

Latitude The horizontal lines that circle the globe are called Lines of Latitude. • The major line of latitude is the equator at 0°.

Longitude The lines that run between the North and the South Poles are called Lines of Longitude, or meridians. • The major line of longitude is the Prime Meridian at 0°.

The Prime Meridian

Prime Meridian 0 degrees longitude • The line at zero degrees longitude is called the Prime Meridian. The prime meridian runs through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. Meridians are counted east and west from the prime meridian, which is numbered zero degrees longitude.

Label the equator & Prime Meridian equator

So, where is (0, 0) • The origin point (0, 0) is where the equator intersects the Prime Meridian. • (0, 0) is off the western coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean.

Hemispheres • Everything north of the equator is in the Northern Hemisphere, while everything south of the equator is in the Southern Hemisphere. • The Western Hemisphere is west of the Prime Meridian, while the Eastern Hemisphere is east of the Prime Meridian.

Label the hemispheres northern, southern, eastern and western. N W E S

Label the four hemispheres north eastern, north western, south eastern, and south western. The N tells us we’re north of the Equator. The S tells us we’re south of the Equator. The E tells us that we’re east of the Prime Meridian. The W tells us that we’re west of the Prime Meridian.

180 165 150 135 120 105 90 75 60 45 30 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 90 80 70 E 60 50 40 30 F 20 10 G 20 30 40 50 60 H 70 80 90 To get to the next line of latitude, you must move in which of two directions?

180 165 150 135 120 105 90 75 60 45 30 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 90 80 70 E 60 50 40 30 F 20 10 G 20 30 40 50 60 H 70 80 90

180 165 150 135 120 105 90 75 60 45 30 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 90 80 70 E 60 50 40 30 F 20 10 G 20 30 40 50 60 H 70 80 90 T o g e t t o t h e n e x t l i n e o f l o n g i t u d e y o u m u s t m o v e i n w h i c h o f t w o d i r e c t i o n s ?

180 165 150 135 120 105 90 75 60 45 30 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 90 80 70 E 60 50 40 30 F 20 10 G 20 30 40 50 60 H 70 80 90

Directions 1. Label the equator & Prime Meridian. 2. Color latitude lines red. 3. Color longitude lines blue. 4. Plot 40°N, 73°W and label it Baldwin, NY

Where Are We? The United States is in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. Baldwin is 73° west of the Prime Meridian and 40° north of the equator. This is commonly expressed as 40°N, 73°W

Label the Latitude and Longitude 0º Longitude 45º E 90º N 90º S 180º W 0º Latitude 45º N 45º S 135º W 90º W 45º W 90º E 135º E 180º E

Answer Key: How did you do?

180 150 165 120 135 90 105 60 75 30 45 0 15 30 15 60 45 90 75 120 105 150 135 180 165 90 80 70 60 50 40 A 30 20 10 B 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 A: 250 N, 1000 W B: 300 S, 1000 E

More on Latitude & Longitude

BASED ON THE ______ OF ________

BASED ON EARTH’S

EACH HOUR, EARTH ROTATES (360°/24 hrs)

For example, New York & Florida

ANOTHER CHEESY SAYING • EAST INCREASE Time is forward to all places to the east • WEST LESS Time is backward to all places to the west

East Increase – West Less (1 hr per l 5°) If it 9 p. m. at Position D, what time is it at position C? Position B? If it is 1 p. m. at Position X, at which location is the time 5 p. m.