What Are Geographical Coordinates? Latitude and Longitude Explained

Latitude (Parallels)

• **Measures:** Distance **north or south of the Equator** (0°).
• **Range:** 0° (Equator) to **90° N** (North Pole) / **90° S** (South Pole).
• **Lines:** Parallel circles shrinking toward poles.
• **Key Parallels:** Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N), Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S), Arctic Circle (66.5°N), Antarctic Circle (66.5°S).

Longitude (Meridians)

• **Measures:** Distance **east or west of the Prime Meridian** (0°).
• **Prime Meridian:** Defined at **Greenwich, England** (Royal Observatory) since 1884.
• **Range:** 0° to **180° E** / **180° W** (meet at International Date Line, Pacific).
• **Lines:** Great circles converging at poles.

Format & Precision

• **Degrees (°), Minutes ('), Seconds (")** — e.g., 40°42'51"N, 74°00'21"W (NYC).
• **Decimal Degrees:** 40.7142° N, -74.0064° W (GIS, GPS standard).
• **Precision:** 1° ≈ 111 km; 1' ≈ 1.85 km; 1" ≈ 30 m; 0.0001° ≈ 11 m.

Applications

• **Navigation:** GPS, aviation, maritime.
• **Mapping:** GIS, surveying, cadastral.
• **Science:** Climate, ecology, seismology, astronomy.
• **Everyday:** Geotagging, ride-hailing, delivery, emergency services.

Examples

• New York City: 40.7128° N, 74.0060° W
• London: 51.5074° N, 0.1278° W
• Tokyo: 35.6762° N, 139.6503° E
• Sydney: 33.8688° S, 151.2093° E