The document explains the concepts of latitude and longitude, including their definitions, measurements in degrees, and historical context related to the equator and prime meridian. It provides practical examples of how latitude and longitude are used in various real-life situations such as weather tracking, military operations, and emergency responses. Additionally, it emphasizes the proper notation of coordinates and encourages further exploration of geographical resources.

1. Lesson One - Four

2.  Latitude lines are
imaginary lines on the
earth's surface. They
run east and west
around the globe and
tell you your distance
north or south of the
Equator.

3.  Think of latitude like the rungs of a ladder (ladder
sounds a lot like latitude). Latitude lines run east
and west, but they tell how far up (north) you can go
or how far down (south) you can go.

4.  Longitude lines are imaginary lines on the
earth's surface that run from pole to pole
around the globe and tell you your
distance east or west from the Prime
Meridian.
The red line shows
a longitude line.

5.  When you think of longitude, think of long, tall
telephone poles (because longitude lines run from
pole to pole). Longitude lines run north and
south, but they tell how far east you can go or how
far west you can go.

6.  Inthe field of mathematics, circles are
measured in degrees. There are 360
degrees in a circle. Since the earth is
basically circular, it was decided to
measure latitude and longitude in degrees
also.

7.  The first latitude line was the Equator (equally distant
between the north and south poles). It is the largest
of all latitude lines. All other latitude lines are
measured in degrees north or south of the Equator.
There are a maximum of 90 degrees of latitude to the
north or the south of the Equator.

8.  The first longitude line was the
Prime Meridian. Any meridian could
have been chosen as the Prime
Meridian because they are all exactly
the same. The Prime Meridian was
selected by international agreement
at the International Meridian
Conference called by President
Chester Arthur in October of 1884.
Representatives from 25 nations met
in Washington, D.C. All other
longitude lines are measured in
degrees east or west of the Prime
Meridian. There are a maximum of
180 degrees on longitude to the east
or the west of the Prime Meridian.

9.  It is approximately 70 miles
between two latitude lines. For
more accuracy in
location, degrees can be
divided into smaller parts. One
degree can be divided into 60
minutes (') and one minute can
be divided into 60 seconds (").
We will not use minutes or
seconds of latitude and
longitude in this course.

10.  If someone asked you
the location of the local
town bank, you may say
"It is on the corner of
Main and Third streets."
Latitude and longitude
are like imaginary
streets on the earth.

11.  Itis customary to give the latitude of a
place first, and the longitude second.
For example, you would say "35 degrees
north, 77 degrees west". This eliminates
the need to say the words latitude and
longitude.
 Make sure that you give a direction with
the number. If you simply say "66 degrees
latitude", there are two of them - one in the
north and one in the south.

12. 1. Go to your starting line (the
Equator).
2. Determine which direction
you must go (north or
south).
3. Determine the distance in
degrees you must go (60).

13. 1. Go to your starting
line (the Prime
Meridian).
2. Determine which
direction you must
go (east or west).
3. Determine the
distance in degrees
you must go (40).

14.  If you find the
intersection
of these two
imaginary
streets, you
have found
the exact
(absolute)
location of a
particular
place on the
earth's
surface
(shown by the
red "X" on the
map below.

15.  Use your skill builder sheet and the map
on the next slide.
 For each question:
• Select which letter matches the correct latitude
and longitude coordinates on the map.
• Record the letter on your Skill Builder sheet.
• You may go back to previous slides for a reminder
of latitude and longitude.

17.  In real life, there are several
instances where you would
need to know how to find
latitude and longitude.
 For example, when weather
forecasters are tracking
hurricanes, they note the
absolute location on a
periodic basis to see the path
of the storm and try to predict
the future path based partially
on these findings.

18.  Inthe military. Suppose you were at war
and you wanted to blow up an ammunition
factory, but not the hospital nearby. Using
minutes and seconds of latitude and
longitude, you can launch a missile from
hundreds of miles away and strike only
that particular building.

19.  Ifyou wanted to license a CB base
station, or even license 5-mile range
walkie talkies, you need to provide the
latitude and longitude of your home to the
Federal Communications Commission to
get such a license.

20.  Inan emergency situation, like a plane crash
or a ship sinking, you can relay your
coordinates of latitude and longitude to assist
rescue teams when time may be very
important. If you are in the middle of an
ocean, there are no landmarks to use, so you
had better know your latitude and longitude.

21.  Explore at least two more sites and find
two facts you haven’t learned yet about
latitude and longitude. Record them on
your skill builder worksheet.
 http://geographyworldonline.com/tutorial/fu
rther.html