Answer
The surface of the earth is vast and for enabling convenience, with reference to navigation and for other economic/political purposes, the surface of the earth has been divided into equal spaced ‘lines’ which are drawn vertically and horizontally across the earth.
These lines are imaginary as they are not visible physically on the earth and demarcate the earth into equal, squared territories measured in terms of Latitude and Longitude.
A Longitude also called as a Meridian is a horizontal line which originates from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England (the Prime Meridian) and is used to demarcate the earth vertically, whereas the horizontal demarcation is done in form of latitudes also called as parallels. Total 360 longitudes and 181 (90 in the Southern Hemisphere + 90 in the Northern Hemisphere + the Equator) latitudes exist on the earth and are used for navigation and geographical demarcation and identification purposes.
The length of a degree of arc of a longitude is approximately 111 km (69 miles) and is uniform throughout the world, whereas the length of the degree of the latitude is not fixed, with the maximum length being at the Equator (111 km) and progressively reducing as one travels to the poles of the earth, where both the latitudes and the longitudes meet.
Work Step by Step
The surface of the earth is vast and for enabling convenience, with reference to navigation and for other economic/political purposes, the surface of the earth has been divided into equal spaced ‘lines’ which are drawn vertically and horizontally across the earth.
These lines are imaginary as they are not visible physically on the earth and demarcate the earth into equal, squared territories measured in terms of Latitude and Longitude.
A Longitude also called as a Meridian is a horizontal line which originates from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England (the Prime Meridian) and is used to demarcate the earth vertically, whereas the horizontal demarcation is done in form of latitudes also called as parallels. Total 360 longitudes and 181 (90 in the Southern Hemisphere + 90 in the Northern Hemisphere + the Equator) latitudes exist on the earth and are used for navigation and geographical demarcation and identification purposes.
The length of a degree of arc of a longitude is approximately 111 km (69 miles) and is uniform throughout the world, whereas the length of the degree of the latitude is not fixed, with the maximum length being at the Equator (111 km) and progressively reducing as one travels to the poles of the earth, where both the latitudes and the longitudes meet.
