Lines of longitude run around Earth vertically. Moving to the east, each line of longitude increases by one degree. You use the letter “E” to indicate a line of longitude that falls to the east of the Prime Meridian. For example, a line of longitude could be 30°E. Moving to the west, lines of longitude also increase by one degree per line. You write lines of longitude that fall to the west of the Prime Meridian using the symbol “W” to indicate west. For example, a line of longitude could be 15°W.
As you move north of the equator, lines of latitude increase by one degree until they reach 90 degrees. The 90 degree mark is the North Pole. Lines of latitude above the equator are marked using the letter “N” to mean North. For example, a line of latitude could be 15°N. As you move south of the equator, lines of latitude again increase by a single degree for each line until you reach the 90 degree mark. This is the South Pole. You use the symbol “S” to indicate south. For example, a line of latitude could be 30°S.
For example, the above lines of latitude and longitude would be written as “15°N, 30°E. "
For example, say your location falls on the latitude line 15°N and the longitude line 30°E.
For example, if you find there are 23 minutes between the latitude lines, you would write this as “23’”.
For example, if there are 15 seconds between the minutes in your longitude line, you would write 15”.
For example, say you have a line of latitude at 15°N, 24 minutes, and 15 seconds. You have a line of longitude at 30°E, 10 minutes, and 3 seconds. This line of latitude and longitude would be written as, 15°24'15"N, 30°10'3"E.
For example, say your location falls at 15°N, 30°W.
Remember, lines of latitude fall north or south of the equator. When using decimals to indicate latitude and longitude, positive numbers fall north of the equator and negative numbers fall south of the equator. The number 23. 456 falls north of the equator, while the number -23. 456 falls south. Lines of longitude fall east or west of the Prime Meridian. Positive numbers fall east of the Prime Meridian, while negative numbers fall west. For example, the number 10. 234 falls east of the Prime Meridian while the number -10. 234 falls west of the Prime Meridian.
For example, a line falls 15°N, 30°W. Identify the number of minutes and decimals and then write out the coordinates. The above example could be written as, “15 10. 234, 30 -23. 456. "
For example, say your location falls at 15°N, 30°W.
For example, your location could be 15. 23456 north and 30. 67890 west.
For example, the line of latitude 15. 23456 would be north of the equator, while the line -15. 23456 would fall south of the equator. A line of longitude written out 30. 67890 would fall east of the Prime Meridian, while the line -30. 67890 would fall west.
For example, say a line falls 15°N, 30°W. Using the decimal degree system, you could write this as “15. 23456, -30. 67890. "
