Latitude and
Longitude
What is Latitude and Longitude?
For Kids
The earth is a globe. The system of latitude and longitude is a man-made system for finding a location anywhere on the surface of this globe. Latitude are imaginary lines drawn around the globe from side to side. Longitude are imaginary lines drawn up and down.
Latitude: Latitude starts are the Equator. The imaginary line that circles the globe (the earth) at the Equator is called zero. Numbers go up and down from there. Latitude is not measured in miles, but in degrees between ninety and zero in both hemispheres (northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere.) So there are only 180 imaginary lines going around the globe, plus the line for zero that circles the Equator.
Longitude is a series of 360 imaginary lines that circle the earth from Pole to Pole. The line that runs from Pole to Pole and measures zero in longitude runs though London, England.
You can find any point on the globe if you know the latitude and the longitude of that point.
Prime Meridian, Equator, Hemispheres
Time Zones, International Dateline
For Teachers
Message in a Bottle: Latitude and Longitude Game (lesson)
Map Reading - Where Am I (lesson, western expansion, latitude, longitude)
Where in the Latitude Are You A Longitude Here
Latitude & Longitude (includes a free ppt)
Map Skills Lessons, Longitude and Latitude Lessons
Free Presentations in PowerPoint format about Latitude & Longitude
See Also: Overviews & Huge Sites, Geography Lesson Plan Index