What Is Parallel of Latitude?

Latitude and longitude together determine the position of any location on the Earth. They are both expressed in terms of degrees, minutes and seconds. There are 360 degrees in a circle, 60 minutes in a degree and 60 seconds in a minute.

Significance

• Latitude measures how far north or south we are. The equator is at 0 degrees. The north and south poles are at 90 degrees north or south, respectively.

Fun Fact

• New York City is very close in latitude to Columbus, Ohio; Lincoln, Neb.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Naples, Italy; and Madrid, Spain.

Deteriming Latitude at Sea

• It is relatively easy to determine latitude of a ship at sea. In the northern hemisphere, you need only identify the altitude of the North Star, and that is the latitude of the ship. Determining longitude is much trickier.