Latitude explained to kids

Latitude is a measure of how far north or south of the equator a location is. It is measured in degrees, with 0 degrees at the equator, +90 degrees at the North Pole, and -90 degrees at the South Pole. Lines of latitude are often referred to as parallels. Latitude is used together with longitude to pinpoint a location on a map. For example, the Empire State Building in New York City has a latitude of 40.7 degrees North, and a longitude of 74 degrees West. Latitude is measured in degrees, which are divided into minutes and seconds. One degree is equal to 60 minutes, and one minute is equal to 60 seconds. There are two main types of latitude: Geographic latitude is the latitude of a point on the Earth's surface, measured from the equator. Geocentric latitude is the latitude of a point on the Earth's surface, measured from the center of the Earth. Latitude can also be measured using a variety of different units, including: Degrees Minutes Seconds Decimal degrees Radians Latitude is an angle, and can be measured in a variety of ways. The most common units of latitude are degrees (°), minutes ('), and seconds ("). One degree is equal to 60 minutes, and one minute is equal to 60 seconds. Latitude can also be measured in decimal degrees. Decimal degrees are simply degrees expressed as a decimal number. For example, the Empire State Building has a latitude of 40.7 degrees. Latitude can also be measured in radians. Radians are a unit of measurement for angles. There are 2π radians in a full circle. This means that 1 radian is equal to 180/π degrees, or about 57.3 degrees. The latitude of the Empire State Building in radians would be 0.713 radians. Latitude is used to describe a location on the Earth's surface. Latitude is measured in degrees, with 0 degrees at the equator, +90 degrees at the North Pole, and -90 degrees at the South Pole. Lines of latitude are often referred to as parallels. Latitude is used together with longitude to pinpoint a location on a map.