Lines of latitude measure northsouth position between the poles. Latitude and longitude are imaginary lines that help you find a location anywhere in the world. The latitude of a place is its distance from the equator. Lines of longitude and latitude are used to map the face of the earth. Jilbert, john geography basic facts 1983 the team has come up with an ambitious plan to circumnavigate the world along a single line of latitude, 50 degrees north. What is the purpose of lines of latitude and lines of longitude. Longitude describes a distance either east or west of the earths meridian the ship was able to send out its latitude and longitude before it sunk, so the sailors could be rescued. Using the parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude, it is possible find your position at sea.
Although latitude is fixed by the earth and columbus could sail a straight line in 1492 relative to a fixed latitudinal parallel, longitude made sailors feel they were on a train and looking at another train, trying to determine which one just began moving. The only line of latitude which is a great circle is the equator. Ozone layer depletion dr binocs show kids learning videopeekaboo kidz duration. They are measured in degrees project the lines of latitude diagram and invite a volunteer to point out the equator. Half of a longitudinal circle is known as a meridian. Understanding latitude and longitude journey north. Nov 21, 2019 the vertical lines on a map are called longitude lines, also known as meridians. Etymologically speaking, its roots are slightly less perplexing than longitudes. Prime meridan is an imaginary line that passes through greenwich in london, england and is the 0 degree line of longitude.
Line of latitude definition and meaning collins english. What is the social studies definition of longitude answers. The true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time is a bestselling book by dava sobel about john harrison, an 18thcentury clockmaker who created the first clock chronometer sufficiently accurate to be used to determine longitude at seaan important development in navigation. Longitude is the one running from north and south passing through the p the straight line that divides the globe in longitude is called the pole which is inclined an angle 90. Unlike, latitudes, there is no obvious central longitude. Longitude, is a geographic coordinate that specifies the eastwest position of a point on the earths surface, or the surface of a celestial body. Longitude is the measurement east or west of the prime meridian. Latitude, longitude and t ime glossary parallels of latitude. Latitude lines are also known as parallels since they are parallel and are an equal distant from each other. Montessori directors this book and others in the series are a great addition to your geography work.
Longitudes are therefore imaginary circles that intersect the north and south poles, and the equator. Lines of latitude run horizontally to measure north to south. As shown on the smallscale globe perspective, washington, d. Lines of longitude and latitude are part of the grid system that helps us navigate the earth, but it can be difficult to remember which is which. The history of longitude is a record of the effort, by astronomers, cartographers and navigators over several centuries, to discover a means of determining longitude the measurement of longitude is important to both cartography and navigation, in particular to provide safe ocean navigation. What is the purpose of latitude and longitude lines. Beginning with harrisons childhood, borden presents biographical tidbits that bring the man to life, show how he. To help locate where a place is in the world, people use imaginary lines called latitude and longitude. Latitude and longitude are a system of lines used to describe the location of any place on earth. Lines of latitude synonyms, lines of latitude pronunciation, lines of latitude translation, english dictionary definition of lines of latitude. In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the north south position of a point on the earths surface.
The parallels of latitude refer to the angular distance, in degrees, minutes and seconds of a point north or south of the equator. Essentially, latitude is defined as the exact opposite. Unlike latitude lines, longitude lines are not parallel. Landau, abby social studies longitude, latitude, and map. Good for primary classrooms and lower elementary classrooms. Latitudes are also known as parallels while longitudes are termed as meridians. The equator is defined as 0 degrees, the north pole is 90 degrees north, and the south pole is 90 degrees south. In this printable worksheet, students will read a map and answer questions about latitude and longitude. Latitude definition is angular distance from some specified circle or plane of reference. It thus divides the earths surface into a northern and southern hemisphere. Landau, abby social studies longitude, latitude, and.
Latitude is measured from 0 to 90 north and 0 to 90 south90 north is the north pole and 90 south is the south pole. Jan 21, 2020 lines of longitude and latitude are part of the grid system that helps us navigate the earth, but it can be difficult to remember which is which. Longitude from dava sobel is a fascinating account of how a virtually unknown watchmaker named john harrison conquered one of the oldest and thorniest problems surrounding the ocean voyages the problem of accurately measuring longitude, which stumped even the best of scientific minds for centuries. The parallels of latitude are of unequal length, whereas the meridians of longitude are of equal length. Lines of latitude are often referred to as parallels. Difference between latitude and longitude with comparison. Jun 07, 2016 lines of longitude and latitude are used to map the face of the earth. From greenwich degrees are marked towards east as longitude. The lines that divides the globe in latitudes is called the equator which is inclined at an angle 0 those lines are called parallel lines of latitude. Latitude definition and calculations lines of latitudes. At their widest points, these are about 69 miles or 111 km apart like latitude lines.
Difference between lines of longitude and latitude lines of. Longitude is measured by imaginary lines that run around the earth vertically up and down and meet at the north and south poles. It was decided after a vote that involved 25 nations. Oct 19, 1995 longitude from dava sobel is a fascinating account of how a virtually unknown watchmaker named john harrison conquered one of the oldest and thorniest problems surrounding the ocean voyages the problem of accurately measuring longitude, which stumped even the best of scientific minds for centuries. Longitudes are imaginery lines running from the north pole to the south pole at the earths circumference. But instead of being straight lines on a flat surface, latlong lines encircle the earth, either as horizontal circles or vertical half circles. These lines run both north and south and east and west across the planet. Latitude alludes to the horizontal lines that represent the distance of any point, north or south of the equator, its direction is east to west. Lines of latitude run in an eastwest direction across earth. Lines of constant latitude, or parallels, run eastwest as circles parallel to the equator. It also has a second definition that is flexibility or freedom from restrictions the equator has a latitude of 0 degrees. Lines of latitude definition of lines of latitude by the. What is the purpose of lines of latitude and lines of.
Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Latitude and longitude, coordinate system by means of which the position or location of any place on earths surface can be determined and described. What is a simple definition of longitude and latitude for a. Latitude and longitude rookie readabout geography 9780516277653. Lines of longitude definition of lines of longitude by the. The vertical lines on a map are called longitude lines, also known as meridians. Difference between lines of longitude and latitude lines.
The equator in the basis for all the horizontal lines are known as latitudes and along with each latitude makes a complete circle. On the flip side, in longitude, the lines of references are not parallel to each other. Lines of latitude and longitude make up a grid system that was developed to help determine the location of points on the earth. Latitude describes a distance either north or south of the equator. While this is perfect for grades 612, this activity can be used as is or modified to better meet the needs of the students in your classroom. Knowledge of both latitude and longitude was required. This displaces the track of totality about 60 degrees east in longitude. To help locate where a place is in the world, people use imaginary lines. The idea took hold in the 1920s, when a photographer and amateur. Longitude and latitude meaning definition for kids. Latitude is an angle defined below which ranges from 0 at the equator to 90 north or south at the poles.
Through latitude and longitude, a traveler can tell his exact position on the earth by marking one line east to west from the travelers position and another from north to south. However, in order to measure the position of a location based on the longitude. Lines of longitude synonyms, lines of longitude pronunciation, lines of longitude translation, english dictionary definition of lines of longitude. In geography, longitude refers to the imaginary lines that bisect the globe through the north and south poles the ones that run vertically, as opposed to the lines of latitude that run horizontally, parallel to the equator. Longitude is the distance east or west of the prime meridian. In latitude, the lines of references are parallel to each other. To find out how far north or south a place is, lines of latitude are used. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Meridians meet at the poles and are widest apart at the equator. A latitudelongitude puzzle national geographic society. By convention, one of these, the prime meridian, which passes through the royal observatory, greenwich, england, was allocated the position of 0 longitude. The lines of longitudes are often called meridians.
It is a system that a mariner can calculate his position. Half of a longitudinal circle is called a meridian, which is where th. Greenwich is the designated 0 degrees longitude, since 1884. The memory rhyme i use to help remember that lines of latitude.
Latitude and longitude is a grid system used to locate any podition on the planet. We tend to use gps now for instant position location however all marine charts are shown with lat and long. Longitude lines circle the globe beginning at the prime meridian in greenwich, england, and are also measured in 15degree segments. North of equator south of equator is divided into 90 degrees. Ley lines are kind of like latitude and longitude in one sense. What are the main uses of latitude and longitude lines in. Latitude and longitude, what are latitude and longitude. Definition the angular distance east or west on the earths surface, measured by the angle contained between the meridian of a particular place and some prime meridian, as that of greenwich, england, and expressed either in degrees or by some corresponding difference in time. Although these are only imaginary lines, they appear on maps and globes as if they actually existed. Each degree of latitude is approximately 69 miles 111 km apart. Latitude is a measurement of location north or south of the equator. Your students can use this as a supplemental activity after a lesson or as a study resource. Location, longitude, and latitude earth science socratic.
They converge at the poles and are widest at the equator. They run perpendicular to the equator and latitude lines. Each standard atlas covers thirty minutes of latitude and longitude at a scale of four miles to the inch, and fills one page in the book. Lines of latitude are all parallel to each other, thus they are often referred to as parallels. The distance around the earth measures 360 degrees. Horizontal mapping lines on earth are lines of latitude. They are used to define the eastwest position of a location on the planet. But the theory is that big, important monuments think stonehenge and the pyramids of giza are all running on a kind of energy highway that connects them.
It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the greek letter lambda. Longitude meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Latitude and longitude lines are a grid map system too. A specific latitude is supposed to be combined with a specific longitude to show a precise position on earth. Longitude is a similar measurement east or west of the greenwich meridian.
Longitude definition of longitude by merriamwebster. The true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time paperback october 30, 2007. Review latitude and longitude remind students that cartographers long ago created a system of imaginary gridlines for the whole globe. Unlike latitude lines, they taper latitude lines are completely parallel, almost as if stacked on top of each other. Lines of longitude, or meridians, run between the north and south poles. They are known as parallels of latitude, because they run parallel to the equator. Longitude definition is angular distance measured on a great circle of reference from the intersection of the adopted zero meridian with this reference circle to the similar intersection of the meridian passing through the object. Lines of latitude are the horizontal lines on a map that stretches from the east to the west. There is an easy memory trick that anyone can use to keep the two geography terms straight. Think of it like this longatude and fatitude latitude thats how i learned i hope it helps for you. Also dating back to the late 0s, latitude means breadth but goes even further back to the old french latitude, and the latin latitudo, meaning. Lines of latitude those that run east and west begin at the equator, which is zero degrees.
The globe is the round shape of the earth that can be divided into 360 degrees, just like a circle. On the other hand, longitude implies the vertical lines indicating the distance of any point, east or west of the prime meridian, its direction is north to south. We use latitude and longitude, which are angles measured in degrees. Latitude definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Those lines are called parallel lines of longitude. Angular distance on the earths surface, measured east or west from the prime meridian at greenwich, england, to the meridian passing.