latitude

     

Latitue, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth (or other planetary body) north or south of the equator. Lines of Latitude are the horizontal lines shown running east-to-west on maps. Technically, latitude is an angular measurement in degrees (marked with °) ranging from 0° at the equator (low latitude) to 90° at the poles (90° N for the North Pole or 90° S for the South Pole; high latitude). The complementary angle of a latitude is called the colatitude.

Trivia about latitude

  • Measured in degrees, it's the angular distance north or south of the Earth's equator
  • When given freedom of action or choice, you're given this type of line that encircles the world
  • With remarkable accuracy, Mason & Dixon set the line at 39 degrees 43'17.6" of this
  • (Sarah of the Clue Crew reports from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA.) The lower this number for Foucault pendulum's location, the slower its rate of rotation