Latitude vs longitude

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Grammarist

Latitude is a measurement of how far away from the earth’s equator a place is. Latitude is measured in degrees and minutes. Lines of latitude on a map or globe run horizontally. Latitude may also refer to the amount of restriction or freedom a person is afforded. Latitude is derived from the Latin word latitudo, meaning width, size, extent, Related words are latitudinal, latitudinally.

Longitude is a measurement of how far away from from the prime meridian a place is.  The prime meridian is an imaginary line that runs through Greenwich, England. Longitude is also measured in degrees and minutes. Lines of longitude on a map or globe run vertically. The word longitude is derived from the Latin word longitudo, meaning length or duration. Related words are longitudinal, longitudinally.

Examples

The study, published Tuesday in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, determined that latitude, color and reproductive mode were very important — findings that could help determine which species will be susceptible to climate changes. (The New York POst)

The next day, a GPS user hid a package in the woods outside Portland, Oregon, posted the longitude and latitude coordinates on the Internet, and challenged others to find it. (The Lafayette Journal and Courier)

But other justices on the seven-judge panel said at a hearing that the legislature wanted to give initiative proponents broad latitude to make changes, and public comment on proposed initiatives had to stop at some point. (The Mercury News)

The globe-dividing line of zero longitude was nevertheless decreed to run through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, now one of the world’s most charming science museums. (The New York Times)

To display your latitude, longitude and elevation (altitude) on your iPhone, use the “compass” app that came with the phone. (The Minneapolis Star Tribune)