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Lines of longitude (meridians) run north/south and measure angular distance east and west of the prime meridian to a maximum of 180 degrees east or west.
Lines of latitude (parallels) measure angular distance from the equator. The maximum is 90 degrees north or south of the equator.
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ReneThe Earth is divided into 360 longitudes because it takes approximately 24 hours for the Earth to complete one full rotation, and there are 24 time zones. Each time zone represents 15 degrees of longitude (360 degrees ÷ 24 = 15 degrees).
Similarly, latitudes are divided into 180 because they are measured north and south from the equator, which is at 0 degrees latitude. Half of a sphere is 180 degrees, so latitudes range from 0 to 90 degrees north of the equator and 0 to 90 degrees south of the equator.
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Why there are only 180 latitudes and 360 longitudes on earth?
Because when you travel in longitude, you can go all the way around the Earth, 360 degrees, crossing new longitudes all the way . But when you travel in latitude, the farthest you can travel is from one pole to the other pole ... halfway around the Earth, 180 degrees. Once you reach the opposite pole, if you keep going farther, you're just crossing latitudes that you've already crossed once.
Why do you have 360 longitudes and only 181 latitudes?
Because you must go all the way around the Earth in order to cross every possible longitude, but you only need to go half-way around it ... pole to pole ... in order to stand at every possible latitude. And by the way . . . there are an infinite number of longitudes, that cover a range of 360 degrees, and an infinite number of latitudes, that cover a range of 180 degrees.
How many latitudes and longitudes are there on a map?
It would depend on the specific map. On a globe, there are an unlimited number of specific latitudes between 0 and 90 degrees north (equator to North Pole) and 0 and 90 degrees south (equator to South Pole). Longitudes range from 0 to 180 east and 0 to 180 west from the Prime Meridian, with 180 east and 180 west being the same line (on which the International Date Line is based). The total circumference of the planet is 360 degrees, and it would appear as a circle viewed from above either of the poles. Each degree of longitude is about 111.32 kilometers wide at the equator. Degrees can be divided further into minutes and seconds, or to any accuracy of decimal degrees.
Why are latitudes concentric but longitudes meet at the poles?
Latitudes are parallel to the equator. Longitudes converge like elastics on a soccer ball.
Who drew latitudes and longitudes on the Earth?
Your mamma
