Parallel or line of latitude is the line the line connecting all points at 35° latitude is called the 35 th parallel.
Note that latitude is the angle thus a point at 35° north latitude refers to the angle of 35° between the plane of equator and the line connecting this point to the center of earth. The distances between each degree of latitude are more or less constant and are close to 111 km, 69 statute miles or 60 nautical miles. Parallels at the North and South poles are effectively points rather than circles. Other than the equator, parallels have a smaller circumference than the earth, and their center does not coincide with that of the earth, and thus they are small circles. Parallels run equally spaced from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles with successively smaller diameters approaching the poles. Equator is a great circle with a circumference equal to the earth's and centered on the center of the earth. Lines of latitude form circles around the earth parallel to the equator and each other. North Pole is at 90°N, and South Pole's latitude is 90°S or -90°.Ī line (arc) on the globe or on a map running east-west and connecting all points with the same latitudinal angle is called a line of latitude, parallel or a circle of latitude. Latitude angles may also be assigned positive values for northern hemisphere and negative values for southern hemisphere. Latitudes are designated with N (north) for locations north of the equator and with S (south) for locations south of the equator. Equatorial plane divides the earth into two equal hemispheres. Since the plane of equator is the reference plane for measuring latitudes, equator is at 0° latitude. Latitude can be thought of as the angular distance of a point (on the surface of earth) north or south of the equator. Geocentric latitude of a point on the surface of the earth is the angle between the plane of the equator and the line connecting the point to the center of the spherical earth. When referring to latitude usually the geodetic latitude is meant. The line drawn from the point on earth's surface does not pass through the center of the earth except for points on the poles and the equator. Latitude ( geodetic latitude) of a point is the angle (φ) between the plane of the equator and a line passing through the point perpendicular to the surface of the ellipsoidal earth. Latitude and longitude on spherical earth
Latitude and longitude on ellipsoidal earth Latitude provides an angular measure of the distance of the point north or south of the equator, while longitude refers to the east-west angular measure relative to the prime meridian. The two coordinates are angular measurements. Geographic coordinates of a point is a set of two numbers, namely latitude and longitude (often abbreviated as lat long) that specify the location of that point. Such a network (graticule) allows for the description of the position of any point on the surface of the earth.
A network of intersecting lines consisting of north-south lines of longitude and east-west lines of latitude creates an imaginary mesh around the globe. Geographic coordinate system is a common spherical coordinate reference system for specifying location of features on the curved surface of the earth. Home > Education > Latitude Longitude - Geographic Coordinates Latitude and Longitude - Geographic Coordinates Geographic coordinate system