What is the significance of latitude

The lines of longitude run north and south. They are used to define the East-West position of a location on the planet. They run perpendicular to the Equator and latitude lines. Half of a longitudinal circle is called a Meridian, which is where the term comes from in the name Greenwich Meridian or Prime Meridian.

Contrary to latitude, there is no central longitude line. However, the Prime Meridian or Greenwich Meridian is used as the primary reference point because it is set to 0 degrees longitude. The Prime Meridian separates the east and west hemispheres of the Earth.

Because the Earth is essentially a spherical shape, it is considered to have degrees. They run perpendicular to the Equator and latitude lines. The earliest navigation methods involved observing landmarks or watching the direction of the sun and stars. Few ancient sailors ventured out into the open sea.

Compasses were being used for navigation by the s, and are still the most familiar navigational tools in the world. Credits: NASA. The prime meridian is arbitrary, meaning it could be chosen to be anywhere. If you consider its starting place to be the Prime Meridian, it first makes landfall on the coast of Namibia. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel.

Skip to content Home Social studies What is the importance of latitude? How many longitudes are there? What is the function of longitude and latitude? When used together, longitude and latitude define a specific location through geographical coordinates. The purpose is quite simple: navigation, especially on the ocean or in the air. Where is the Prime Meridian? The Prime Meridian, as it passes through Greenwich, England, is considered 0 degrees longitude. Because both the equator and the Prime Meridian are imaginary lines, they were both established by mankind at some point in human history.

What are some examples of latitude? Arctic Circle: is Antarctic Circle: Tropic of Capricorn: Tropic of Cancer: What is the impact of latitude? Latitude has a big effect on climate because latitude controls how much solar energy a location receives. The tropics, which are places on or near the equator, are warm all year long because they get about the same amount of sunlight during the year.

How are latitudes helpful to us? Latitudes help us determine how far north or south we are on the globe.