Longitude vs Latitude
* The long lines on the globe between North Pole and South Pole are referred to by the term longitude whereas the lateral lines on the globe between east and west are referred to by the term latitude.
It is interesting to note that both longitude and latitude are measured by degrees. 90 degrees latitude towards north would signify the North Pole whereas 90 degrees latitude towards south implies the South Pole. Equator is lying at 0 degrees latitude for that matter.
It is 0 degrees longitude across the Prime Meridian that passes through the Greenwich. Maximum measurement of longitude would be 180 degrees towards both the east and the west.
It is important to note that the latitude lines are all parallel lines to the equator. The longitude lines are all parallel lines to the Prime Meridian. The latitude lines are denoted by ‘phi’ where as the longitude lines are denoted by ‘lambda’.
The distance of any place from any other place is determined by the longitude of a place. In short it can be said that the longitude of a place is the distance from the Prime Meridian. The time difference can also be thus calculated. In fact the time difference is calculated with the Greenwich Mean Time as the base.
The climate and the weather of a particular region are determined by the latitude. Hence latitude is used in the determination of the distances from the equator and thereby the character of the region such as tropical or Arctic for that matter. Latitude is also used to determine the effect of the various phenomena of weather.
It is for sure that the geographers have made the best use of the longitude and the latitude of regions and countries to determine various characteristics of the regions such as climate, distance, weather, time and the like.
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