Latitude and Longitude

Latitude and longitude indicate geographical coordinates: the exact location of a place on the Earth.

Latitude is measured by using the parallels which start at the equator (0º). At the poles they are 90º. They are north (N) or South (S) depending on whether they are located in the northern or southern hemisphere. All locations on a line have the same latitude.

Longitude is measured by using the meridians which start at the prime meridian (0º). They run vertically from 0º to 180º to the West (W), and 0º to 180º to the east (E). All locations on a line have the same longitude.

The combination of latitude and longitude gives us the geographical coordinates of a place.