Latitude

Latitude is a measure of the distance you are located from the equator.  

It is commonly shown as an imaginary horizontal line that goes across the earth on maps and is used along with longitude as a reference point to determine location. 

The definition of latitude is the angular distance north or south from the earth’s equator measured through 90 degrees. 

Lines of latitude form circles around the earth, with 0 degrees latitude being at the equator and 90° latitude representing the poles. 

For example:

• Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is located at approximately 52 degrees North latitude, Madrid, Spain, is located at approximately 40 degrees North latitude,
• São Paulo, Brazil, is located at approximately 23 degrees South latitude and
• Cape Town, South Africa, is located at approximately 33 degrees South latitude.

Five major circles of latitude

There are five major circles of latitude, listed below from north to south.

·         Arctic Circle (66.5° N)

·         Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N)

·         Equator (0° latitude)

·         Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S)

·         Antarctic Circle (66.5° S)

These circles of latitude, excluding the Equator, mark the divisions between the five principal geographical zones.

Tropics

Also referred to as the torrid zone or tropical zone, all the water and land of the earth between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The tropics experience at least one day per year in which the sun passes directly overhead.


Tropic of Cancer

A line of latitude located at 23.5° north of the equator. The Sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer on the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21). It marks the northernmost point of the tropics, which falls between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.


Tropic of Capricorn

A line of latitude located at 23.5° south. The Sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn on the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere (Dec. 20 or 21). It marks the southernmost point of the tropics.


Arctic Circle

A line of latitude located at 66.5° north, delineating the Northern Frigid Zone of the Earth.


Antarctic Circle

A line of latitude located at 66.5° south, delineating the Southern Frigid Zone of the Earth.

Five factors that affect climate

VIDEO - Five Factors that Affect Climate

The five factors that affect climate:

- altitude
- latitude
- near mountain range / topography
- distance to the sea
- prevailing winds / ocean currents


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Latitude, longitude and the prime meridian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGdw2743vKc&feature=related

The moving picture demonstrates latitude, longitude and the prime meridian.

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Latitude and longitude

Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees (marked with °). The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north (written 90° N or +90°), and the South pole has a latitude of 90° south (written 90° S or −90°). Together, latitude and longitude can be used as a geographic coordinate system to specify any location on the globe.


Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds.

Points with the same longitude lie in lines running from the North Pole to the South Pole. The Prime Meridian, which passes through the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England, establishes the position of zero degrees longitude. The longitude of other places is measured as an angle east or west from the Prime Meridian.



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