LOCATE COORDINATES USING LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE.

Now that you know the basic terminology, we will try to put some of that knowledge to work. Notice the labeled latitude lines or parallels in Figure 1.2.1; could you have labeled those lines?

Figure 1.2.1, (“Globe,” USGS, 2006. http://erg.usgs.gov/ isb/pubs/MapProjections /projections.html)

Let's take a closer look at latitude and longitude lines. These are the tools that mapmakers use to make sure they put things in the right locations. In this portion of the lesson you will locate coordinates based on longitude and latitude. This skill will allow you to pinpoint locations across the entire globe, helping you to better understand how location affects both physical and human geography.

Remember that when looking at a map, latitude lines run horizontally from east to west like the rungs of a ladder. Another name for latitude lines is parallels, because the lines run parallel to one another. An important thing to notice is that the lines are an equal distance apart. Latitude lines are numbered from 0° to 90° north if they are above the equator, and 0° to 90° south if they are below the equator. The equator is the imaginary zero-degree line that divides the earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

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