Latitude and Longitude Flashcards

Grade 6 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Key terms for understanding Earth's geographic coordinate system.

Flashcards

Latitude: Horizontal lines measuring distance north or south of the Equator; range from 0° to 90°.
Longitude: Vertical lines measuring distance east or west of the Prime Meridian; range from 0° to 180°.
Parallels: Another name for lines of latitude; they never intersect and run parallel to each other.
Meridians: Another name for lines of longitude; they converge at the North and South Poles.
Equator: 0° latitude line dividing Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Prime Meridian: 0° longitude line passing through Greenwich, England; divides Earth into Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Tropic of Cancer: 23.5°N latitude — northern boundary of the tropics; sun is directly overhead at June solstice.
Tropic of Capricorn: 23.5°S latitude — southern boundary of the tropics; sun is directly overhead at December solstice.
Arctic Circle: 66.5°N latitude — boundary of the region where the sun doesn't set in summer or rise in winter.
Antarctic Circle: 66.5°S latitude — southern equivalent of the Arctic Circle.
International Date Line: The 180° longitude line where the calendar date changes; located in the Pacific Ocean.
Coordinates: A pair of numbers (latitude, longitude) identifying an exact location on Earth's surface.
Hemisphere: Half of Earth; latitude divides into North/South and longitude divides into East/West hemispheres.