Locating Positions on Earth

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE

 Cardinal Directions
North

West East

South

Draw this in your booklet!!

 Finding your way around…
• Scientists have established a coordinate
system using circular lines to pinpoint any
place on Earth
• Earth’s Coordinate System
based on lines of
- Latitude and Longitude
Let’s Look at This
Question:

How is latitude
measured?
180 150 120 90 60 30 0 30 60 90 120 150 180
165 135 105 75 45 15 15 45 75 105 135 165
90

80

70
E 60

50

40

30

F 20

10

G 10

20

30

40

50

60
H 70

80

90
180 150 120 90 60 30 0 30 60 90 120 150 180
165 135 105 75 45 15 15 45 75 105 135 165
90

80

70
E 60

50

40

30

F 20

10

G 10

20

30

40

50

60

H 70

80

90
 Latitudes to know
• Latitude of equator: 0o
• North Pole: 90o N
• South Pole: 90o S
• Tropic of Cancer: 23.5o N
• Tropic of Capricorn: 23.5o S
• Arctic Circle: 66.5o N
• Antarctic Circle: 66.5o S
 Say
LAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHTITUDE
Let’s Look at This
Question:

How is longitude
measured?
180 150 120 90 60 30 0 30 60 90 120 150 180
165 135 105 75 45 15 15 45 75 105 135 165
90

80

70
E 60

50

40

30

F 20

10

G 10

20

30

40

50

60
H 70

80

90
180 150 120 90 60 30 0 30 60 90 120 150 180
165 135 105 75 45 15 15 45 75 105 135 165
90

80

70
E 60

50

40

30

F 20

10

G 10

20

30

40

50

60

H 70

80

90
 Longitudes to know
• Latitude of Prime Meridian: 0o
• International Date Line: 180o
• From the prime Meridian, you go East or
West to the International Date Line
Say LOOOOOHHHHNGITUDE
 Eastern
Hemisphere

Western
Hemisphere
 Longitude Reference Lines
• International Date Line – 180o on opposite
side of Earth from Prime Meridian

Imaginary line that

separates two
calendar days

Go West – gain a day

Go East – lose a day
• All locations in the United States have a
• (North, South) latitude
• And
• (East, West) longitude

• North and West

• Latitude and Longitude are measured in
degrees ,
• Which can be further divided into
minutes

There are 60 minutes (‘) per degree

 Place an X at latitude 20 32’N
o

• _____________________________ 21o
• _____________________________ 50 min
• _____________________________ 40 min
• _____________________________
x
30 min

• _____________________________ 20 min
• _____________________________ 10 min
• _____________________________ 20o 0 min
• LATITUDE IS
ALWAYS WRITTEN
FIRST FOLLOWED
BY LONGITUDE
• LATITUDE AND
LONGITUDE MUST
ALWAYS INCLUDE A
DIRECTION (N or S for
latitude; E or W for
longitude)