Aim: How do we use

latitude and longitude

to locate places on
Earth?
The most important notes
are in RED.

Mr. Lapsley
Earth Science

Created by: Mr. Brandt – High School of Graphic Communication Arts

DO NOW—Describe the Locations of
Points A, B, C & D.
I. INTRO
 To map locations on Earth, we use the
LATITUDE/LONGITUDE system.
 Latitude and longitude are measured in
DEGREES (o). Each degree is made of
60 MINUTES(’).
II. LATITUDE
 Latitude: the distance
north (N) or south (S) of
the Equator.
 The Equator = 0o latitude.
It is exactly halfway
between the North and
South Poles.
 North Pole = 90oN latitude
 South Pole is 90oS
latitude.
II. LATITUDE (pt. 2)
 Increasing latitude
means going away from
the equator.
Decreasing latitude
means going toward the
equator.

 Except for the equator,

all latitudes must have a
“N” for North or an “S”
for South.
III. LONGITUDE
 Longitude: the distance east (E)
or west (W) of the Prime
Meridian.
 Prime Meridian = 0o longitude
 International Date Line = 180o
longitude
 The INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE is where
each new day starts!
 Longitude lines connect the
North Pole with the South Pole.
(The Prime Meridian and
International Date Lines are
connected at the Poles!)
III. LONGITUDE
 Increasing longitude means
you are moving away from
the Prime Meridian.
Decreasing longitude
means you are moving
toward the Prime Meridian.
 Except for the Prime
Meridian and the 180o
meridian, all lines of
longitude MUST have an E
for east or a W for west.
LATITUDE VS.
LONGITUDE
Let’s Practice!
 IV. FINDING LATITUDE
 ALTITUDE: the angle between
the horizon and any object in
the sky.
 Altitude can be from 0o-90o.
 The LATITUDE of any location
in the Northern Hemisphere =
the ALTITUDE of the star
Polaris at that location.
 This is why Polaris is also called
the North Star
 POLARIS
If you watch POLARIS all night, it will seem to stay
in the same place while the other stars seem to
revolve around it.

This is
because
Earth’s
North
Pole
points
directly
at Polaris
as Earth
rotates!
V. LONGITUDE & TIME ZONES
 Earth has 360o total longitude. (180oE + 180oW)
 Earth spins once every 24 hours.
 From this info, figure out: What is Earth’s rate
of spin, (in degrees longitude/hour)?

 Earth spins at a rate of 15 o/hr

 Going west, every 15o of longitude is one hour

earlier.
TIME ZONES