Latitude vs. Longitude – How to Use Each Correctly

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What’s the Difference Between Latitude and Longitude?

Latitude and longitude are both nouns that deal with the topic of geography.

Latitude describes a distance either north or south of the equator. It also has a second definition that is flexibility or freedom from restrictions.

• The equator has a latitude of 0 degrees.

Longitude describes a distance either east or west of the Earth’s meridian.

• The ship was able to send out its latitude and longitude before it sunk, so the sailors could be rescued.

Let’s look at the usage of these two words.

Using Latitude in a Sentence

When to use latitude: Latitude is a noun that has two different meanings. The first meaning is relevant in geography, and it describes a location either north or south of the Earth’s equator.

The second meaning is most common in the context of rules and regulations and means having freedom from restrictions. It sometimes acts as an adjective as well.

For example,

• A latitude of 90 degrees would be either the North or South Pole.
• As one travels to lower latitudes the weather becomes warmer.
• The king granted his top advisor considerable latitude in judicial affairs.

When latitude has the second meaning, people often qualify it with adjectives such as some, great, or considerable.

Using Longitude in a Sentence

When to use longitude: Longitude is a noun or adjective that describes the angular distance from the meridian.

For example,

• Greenwich, England has a longitude of zero degrees, and has the proper name Prime Meridian.
• To find an exact point on the surface of the earth, you must know the latitude and longitude.

The prime meridian is an arbitrary location that nations voted on to decide in the year 1884. This is because longitude lines have no axis of rotation like the equator.

Oftentimes, latitude and longitude are used together to pinpoint locations precisely. The idea of using latitudes and longitudes on a map has existed since the 3rd century B.C.

About a century later, people learned that longitude had a relation to the local time of a place. The system of a latitude and longitude grid helped people navigate by land and by sea.

Remembering Latitude vs. Longitude

It is possible to keep latitude and longitude straight by using their spelling.

When organizing latitude and longitude alphabetically, latitude comes first, and longitude last. This is the same as horizontal and vertical. This can help you remember that latitude lines are horizontal, like the equator, and go horizontally around the world all the way to the poles.

Likewise, longitude lines are vertical, and like the Prime Meridian, they go vertically all around the world.

Outside Examples

• The film’s cost would later balloon to nearly $20 million, but in the interim, Spielberg’s blockbuster “Jaws” was released, earning the young director some latitude. –New York Post
• Several people have posted photos of the GPS location with captions like “Yo, Irma. Right here, girl” and “Here is Mar-a-Lago’s address.” Many others shared posts showing the exact longitude and latitude in case a picture of a map wasn’t enough. –Houston Chronicle
• The use of short, distinctive names is quicker and less subject to error than cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods. –OC Register
• On July 4, the Explorer reached the target site, 40 degrees latitude and 180 degrees longitude. Due to technical problems, weeks passed before the hull opened to release the giant claw dubbed Clementine. –New York Daily News

Quiz: Longitude vs. Latitude

Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either longitude or latitude, in the correct form.

1. Many birds migrate from a high ______________ to a lower _______________ during winter months so that they can stay warm.
2. Ecuador and Uganda are separated by many degrees of _____________, yet they still are both very hot because they have similar _____________.
3. It is possible to move through Europe and Africa while staying on the same line of ________________.

See answers below.

Article Summary

Should I use latitude or longitude? These words are both important in marking locations on a map and in navigating in general. However, each word refers to lines or degrees that go in opposite directions.

• Latitude lines run from east to west but mark degrees north and south of the equator.
• Longitude lines run from north to south,but mark degrees east and west of the Prime Meridian.

Remember that it can be helpful to think of latitude as horizontal and longitude as vertical.

Answers

1. latitude, latitude
2. longitude, latitudes
3. longitude