In the past few weeks, we have been learning about latitude and longitude in geography class. We learned that the lines of latitude and longitude create a co-ordinate grid that we can use to find different places on earth.
Lines of latitude are the horizontal lines on the grid and each line of latitude is a measurement either North or South of the Equator. The Equator is the line of latitude that separates the northern and southern hemispheres. Lines oflatitude are measured in degrees, the equator represents 0° (degrees) of latitude. The farther away from the equator you are, the greater the latitude. The North pole is 90° (degrees) North and the South pole is 90° (degrees) South ofthe equator.
Lines of longitude are the vertical lines on the grid. Each line of longitude is a measurement either East or West of the Prime Meridian. Lines of Longitude are also measured in degrees and the Prime meridian represents 0° degrees oflongitude. The prime meridian also separates the eastern and western hemispheres. You can travel 180° East or 180° West of the prime meridian. This will bring you to the opposite side of the planet.
The students found latitude and longitude interesting because we are using something that we have learned in math before, the co-ordinate grid, in the real world. We can use latitude and longitude co-ordinates to find places all over ourplanet. Students enjoyed finding the coordinates to some of their favorite places. Here are some examples: Beijing - 40°N, 116°E Dublin - 53°N, 6°W New York - 40°N, 74°W Sydney - 34°S, 151°E