What is the main purpose of lines of longitude?
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.
What are the 2 important lines of longitude?
Lines of longitude are imaginary lines which run in a north-south direction from the North Pole to the South Pole. The lines are called meridians of longitude and they are also measured in degrees (°) and minutes (‘). The most important line of longitude is the Greenwich or Prime Meridian (0°).
Why are lines of latitude and lines of longitude important?
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.
What are the horizontal lines in longitude and latitude called?
Understanding Longitude and Latitude Under the longitude and latitude system, the Earth is divided into a grid of horizontal and vertical lines. The horizontal lines are called latitude lines; because they run parallel to the equator, they are also called parallels of latitude.
How are latitudes and longitudes measured on Earth?
Latitude locations are given as __ degrees North or __ degrees South. Vertical mapping lines on Earth are lines of longitude, known as “meridians”. One simple way to visualize this might be to think about having hula hoops cut in half, vertically positioned with one end at the North Pole and the other at the South Pole.
Where do latitude and longitude lines converge at?
They converge at the poles and are widest at the equator. At their widest points, these are about 69 miles or 111 km apart like latitude lines.