Latitude & Longitude

Map projection: a way of show a

curved earth on flat surface

Coordinate system: imaginary lines

which determines location of a point on earth’s surface.

Coordinate systems

Lines of latitude: distance in degrees or angular distance North and South of

the equator.

•the equator is 0º latitude• the north pole is 90º N latitude

•lines of latitude are also called

parallels of latitude.

Lines of longitude: the distance in

degrees East and West of the Prime

Meridian 0º

•Meridians are semicircles on the Earth’s surface that Converge at the poles

•prime meridian is the reference line of longitude which passes through Greenwich, Eng.

Hemispheres

• The Equator divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

• The Prime Meridian along with the 180th meridian (the international dateline) into Eastern and Western Hemispheres

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Primemeridian.jpg

Give the latitude & longitude of the following points. Be sure to include direction!

A

B

C

D

E

THE ALTITUDE OF POLARIS

= THE LATITUDE OF THE OBSERVER!!!!

Why?a + b = 90

a + d = 90

b = d

b= c (alt. int. angles)

So, if b=d, and b=c, d must =c

d = the latitude of the observerc = the altitude of Polaris So, the altitude of Polaris = the latitude of the observer!

At what latitude am I standing? Be sure to include direction!

47˚

Degrees of latitude and longitude

• Kind of like a clock, the latitude and longitude system works with minutes and seconds

• Think of degrees like hours….• There is 60 minutes in one degree, and 60

seconds in one minute

Degrees of Latitude and longitude

• Using degrees and minutes just makes the point more specific

• For example, a point about halfway between 43˚N and 44˚N might be written as 43˚30’N.

• This would be read as “43 degrees, 30 minutes North” (b/c halfway would be 30 minutes of one degree)

• 43˚30’30” would be read as “43 degrees, 30 minutes, 30 seconds”