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A level surface, such as the surface of a lake, is parallel everywhere to the mean surface of the earth and so is essentially spherical. A level line is the arc of a circle whose radius varies according to the elevation above or below mean sea level. In the surygy of small areas, or when sight lines are short, level surfaces are assumed to be planes, and level lines are assumed to be straight lines. A great circle is the trace of a level line on a vertical plane and may be illustrated by imagining a vertical plane passing through the polar axis of the earth. The trass of the earths surface on this vertical plane is considered to be a great circle. Geographic meridians and parallels of latitude are a system of spherical coordinates by which it is possible to locate points or to describe precisely the locations of points onTtHe surface of the earth. Geographic meridians (longitudes) are of great