Latitude and longitude are geographic coordinates, expressed in degrees, that accurately reflect the location of an object.

The ability to determine latitude and longitude is relevant in navigation, travel, and orientation on the ground. To master it, you need to understand the structure of the degree grid plotted on the map.

How to determine the latitude

Geographic latitude is the length of the arc in degrees from the equator to given point.

On the map, latitude is determined by focusing on horizontal lines - parallels. The role of the zero parallel is assigned to the equator. It divides the Earth into northern and southern hemispheres, its latitude is 0°.

The value grows evenly in both directions towards the poles, where it reaches a maximum value of 90°. Objects above the equator are considered to be located at the northern latitude, below - at the south. The degree values ​​of the parallels are plotted on the map on the right, on the left, or on both sides of it.

If the object is directly on the parallel, then its latitude will be equal to the specified value.

For example, St. Petersburg is located on the 60th parallel north of the equator, which means that the desired value is 60 ° N. sh.

If the object is located between parallels, then you need to find the nearest parallel to the object from the equator and add the number of degrees from this parallel to the object along the meridian.

For example, Moscow is located north of the 50th parallel, 6 degrees along the meridian, which means that the desired value is 56 ° N. sh.

It is worth remembering: the larger the map, the more detailed the degree grid is, the easier it is to determine the latitude.

How to determine longitude

Geographical longitude - the length of the arc of the equator in degrees from the initial meridian to the meridian of the given point.

On the map, longitude is determined by correlating the location with vertical lines - meridians. The zero meridian is the one that passes through the oldest Greenwich Royal Observatory in the London suburbs. That's what they call it - Greenwich.

It divides the Earth into western and eastern hemispheres. Objects to the left of Greenwich are considered to be located on the western longitude, to the right - on the eastern.

The degree values ​​of the meridians are signed at the points where they cross the equator, their magnitudes range from 0° to 180°.

If the object is located on the meridian, then its longitude will be equal to the specified value. For example, St. Petersburg is located on the 30th meridian east of Greenwich, which means that the desired value is 30 ° E. d.

If the object is located between the meridians, then the number of degrees from it to the object along the parallel is added to the nearest meridian.

For example, Moscow is located east of the 30th meridian, 8 degrees along the parallel to it, which means that the desired value is 38 ° E. d.

Interestingly, a century ago in St. Petersburg, the countdown was carried out not from the Greenwich Observatory, but from the Pulkovo Observatory.

Determine the coordinates of a point on the map - 📹 with video

📌 To calculate the geographic coordinates of an object, you need:

1. Determine its geographic latitude
2. Determine its geographic longitude.
3. Match latitude with longitude.

For example, Vladivostok is located north of the equator at the 43rd parallel and east of Greenwich at the 132nd meridian, which means that its coordinates are 43 ° N. sh. and 132° E. d.

In order to determine the coordinates of smaller objects, you need detailed map, where you can operate not only in degrees, but also in minutes and seconds. Detailing coordinates to geographical seconds specifies the location of the object with an accuracy of up to 30 meters.

In the corner of the map, there is usually a scale bar that shows the ratio of distances on the map to distances in geographic coordinates and kilometers.

Then by applying an ordinary millimeter ruler to a scale one can find out that, for example, 1 ° of latitude is 30 mm, 1 ° of longitude is 40 mm. Next, using simple measurements on the map and mathematical proportions to easily calculate the exact coordinates.

If calculations are required on a hike, it is better to practice at home in advance.

📹 Video example of determining coordinates on a topographic map

Determining latitude and longitude on Google and Yandex online maps

To determine coordinates in online maps, Google and Yandex use two main options.

1. Using a search form In the field, enter the name of the object (country, city, street, house number), press "find". In the Yandex service, the coordinates appear in the window on the left under the address. In the Google service, you need to click on the red mark and select the line “What is here” in the context menu, there will be coordinates in the drop-down window. The same line is in the Yandex context menu, in case the data window is not displayed automatically.
2. Drag label. A geolocation mark is manually placed on the desired object. At the same time, navigation and zoom tools are used for searching (reduce, enlarge, scroll the map). Viewing coordinates is similar to the previous paragraph.

If you need to determine your own exact coordinates, but the name of the area and the exact location are unknown, then you need to give permission to the application to track your geolocation.

Then click on the "My Location" button: Yandex has a triangular arrow on the right side of the screen, Google has an icon that looks like a sight, also on the right. The application will put a label, and you can find out your coordinates.

The ability to determine the coordinates is not difficult, but a very useful skill, especially for independent travelers.

Geographic coordinates of some cities in Russia and CIS countries

City	Latitude	Longitude
Abakan	53.720976	91.44242300000001
Arkhangelsk	64.539304	40.518735
Astana(Kazakhstan)	71.430564	51.128422
Astrakhan	46.347869	48.033574
Barnaul	53.356132	83.74961999999999
Belgorod	50.597467	36.588849
Biysk	52.541444	85.219686
Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)	42.871027	74.59452
Blagoveshchensk	50.290658	127.527173
Bratsk	56.151382	101.634152
Bryansk	53.2434	34.364198
Velikiy Novgorod	58.521475	31.275475
Vladivostok	43.134019	131.928379
Vladikavkaz	43.024122	44.690476
Vladimir	56.129042	40.40703
Volgograd	48.707103	44.516939
Vologda	59.220492	39.891568
Voronezh	51.661535	39.200287
Grozny	43.317992	45.698197
Donetsk, Ukraine)	48.015877	37.80285
Yekaterinburg	56.838002	60.597295
Ivanovo	57.000348	40.973921
Izhevsk	56.852775	53.211463
Irkutsk	52.286387	104.28066
Kazan	55.795793	49.106585
Kaliningrad	55.916229	37.854467
Kaluga	54.507014	36.252277
Kamensk-Uralsky	56.414897	61.918905
Kemerovo	55.359594	86.08778100000001
Kyiv(Ukraine)	50.402395	30.532690
Kirov	54.079033	34.323163
Komsomolsk-on-Amur	50.54986	137.007867
Korolev	55.916229	37.854467
Kostroma	57.767683	40.926418
Krasnodar	45.023877	38.970157
Krasnoyarsk	56.008691	92.870529
Kursk	51.730361	36.192647
Lipetsk	52.61022	39.594719
Magnitogorsk	53.411677	58.984415
Makhachkala	42.984913	47.504646
Minsk, Belarus)	53.906077	27.554914
Moscow	55.755773	37.617761
Murmansk	68.96956299999999	33.07454
Naberezhnye Chelny	55.743553	52.39582
Nizhny Novgorod	56.323902	44.002267
Nizhny Tagil	57.910144	59.98132
Novokuznetsk	53.786502	87.155205
Novorossiysk	44.723489	37.76866
Novosibirsk	55.028739	82.90692799999999
Norilsk	69.349039	88.201014
Omsk	54.989342	73.368212
Eagle	52.970306	36.063514
Orenburg	51.76806	55.097449
Penza	53.194546	45.019529
Pervouralsk	56.908099	59.942935
Permian	58.004785	56.237654
Prokopyevsk	53.895355	86.744657
Pskov	57.819365	28.331786
Rostov-on-Don	47.227151	39.744972
Rybinsk	58.13853	38.573586
Ryazan	54.619886	39.744954
Samara	53.195533	50.101801
St. Petersburg	59.938806	30.314278
Saratov	51.531528	46.03582
Sevastopol	44.616649	33.52536
Severodvinsk	64.55818600000001	39.82962
Severodvinsk	64.558186	39.82962
Simferopol	44.952116	34.102411
Sochi	43.581509	39.722882
Stavropol	45.044502	41.969065
Sukhum	43.015679	41.025071
Tambov	52.721246	41.452238
Tashkent (Uzbekistan)	41.314321	69.267295
Tver	56.859611	35.911896
Tolyatti	53.511311	49.418084
Tomsk	56.495116	84.972128
Tula	54.193033	37.617752
Tyumen	57.153033	65.534328
Ulan-Ude	51.833507	107.584125
Ulyanovsk	54.317002	48.402243
Ufa	54.734768	55.957838
Khabarovsk	48.472584	135.057732
Kharkov, Ukraine)	49.993499	36.230376
Cheboksary	56.1439	47.248887
Chelyabinsk	55.159774	61.402455
Mines	47.708485	40.215958
Engels	51.498891	46.125121
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk	46.959118	142.738068
Yakutsk	62.027833	129.704151
Yaroslavl	57.626569	39.893822

And find the exact location of objects on earth's surface allows degree network- a system of parallels and meridians. It serves to determine the geographical coordinates of points on the earth's surface - their longitude and latitude.

Parallels(from Greek. parallelos- walking nearby) - these are lines conditionally drawn on the earth's surface parallel to the equator; equator - a line of section of the earth's surface depicted by a plane passing through the center of the earth perpendicular to the axis of its rotation. The longest parallel is the equator; the length of the parallels from the equator to the poles decreases.

meridians(from lat. meridianus- midday) - lines conventionally drawn on the earth's surface from one pole to another along the shortest path. All meridians are equal in length. All points of a given meridian have the same longitude, and all points of a given parallel have the same latitude.

Rice. 1. Elements of a degree network

Geographic latitude and longitude

Geographic latitude of the point is the value of the meridian arc in degrees from the equator to the given point. It varies from 0° (equator) to 90° (pole). Distinguish between northern and southern latitudes, abbreviated n. and y.sh. (Fig. 2).

Any point south of the equator will have a south latitude, and any point north of the equator will have a north latitude. To determine the geographical latitude of any point means to determine the latitude of the parallel on which it is located. On maps, the latitude of parallels is signed on the right and left frames.

Rice. 2. Latitude

Geographic longitude of a point is the magnitude of the parallel arc in degrees from the prime meridian to the given point. The initial (zero, or Greenwich) meridian passes through the Greenwich Observatory, located near London. To the east of this meridian, the longitude of all points is east; to the west, it is west (Fig. 3). Longitude varies from 0 to 180°.

Rice. 3. Geographic longitude

To determine the geographical longitude of any point means to determine the longitude of the meridian on which it is located.

On the maps, the longitude of the meridians is signed on the upper and lower frames, and on the map of the hemispheres - on the equator.

The latitude and longitude of any point on Earth make up its geographical coordinates. Thus, the geographic coordinates of Moscow are 56°N. and 38°E

Geographic coordinates of cities in Russia and CIS countries

There are many different coordinate systems. All of them are used to determine the position of points on the earth's surface. This includes mainly geographic coordinates, flat rectangular and polar coordinates. In general, it is customary to call coordinates angular and linear quantities that define points on a surface or in space.

Geographical coordinates- these are angular quantities - latitude and longitude, which determine the position of a point on the globe. Geographic latitude is the angle formed by the plane of the equator and a plumb line at a given point on the earth's surface. This angle value shows how far a particular point on the globe is north or south of the equator.

If the point is located in the Northern Hemisphere, then its geographical latitude will be called northern, and if in southern hemisphere- southern latitude. The latitude of points located on the equator is zero degrees, and at the poles (North and South) - 90 degrees.

Geographic longitude is also an angle, but formed by the plane of the meridian, taken as the initial (zero), and the plane of the meridian passing through given point. For the uniformity of the definition, we agreed to consider the initial meridian as the meridian passing through astronomical observatory in Greenwich (near London) and call it Greenwich.

All points located to the east from it will have eastern longitude (up to the meridian of 180 degrees), and to the west of the initial one - western longitude. The figure below shows how to determine the position of point A on the earth's surface if its geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) are known.

Note that the difference in longitudes of two points on Earth shows not only their mutual arrangement in relation to the zero meridian, but also the difference in these points at the same moment. The fact is that every 15 degrees (24th part of the circle) in longitude is equal to one hour of time. Based on this, it is possible to determine the difference in time at these two points by geographical longitude.

For example.

Moscow has a longitude of 37°37′ (East), and Khabarovsk -135°05′, that is, lies to the east of 97°28′. What time do these cities have at the same moment? Simple calculations show that if it is 13:00 in Moscow, then it is 19:30 in Khabarovsk.

The figure below shows the design of the sheet frame of any map. As can be seen from the figure, in the corners of this map, the longitude of the meridians and the latitude of the parallels that form the frame of the sheet of this map are signed.

On all sides, the frame has scales divided into minutes. For both latitude and longitude. Moreover, each minute is divided by dots into 6 equal sections, which correspond to 10 seconds of longitude or latitude.

Thus, in order to determine the latitude of any point M on the map, it is necessary to draw a line through this point parallel to the lower or upper frame of the map, and read the corresponding degrees, minutes, seconds on the latitude scale to the right or left. In our example, point M has a latitude of 45°31’30”.

Similarly, drawing a vertical line through the point M parallel to the lateral (closest to this point) meridian of the border of this sheet of the map, we read the longitude (east) equal to 43 ° 31'18 ".

Drawing a point on a topographic map according to given geographical coordinates.

Drawing a point on the map according to the given geographical coordinates is carried out in the reverse order. First, the indicated geographical coordinates are found on the scales, and then parallel and perpendicular lines are drawn through them. Intersecting them on will show the point with the given geographic coordinates.

Based on the book "The map and the compass are my friends."
Klimenko A.I.

Geographic latitude and longitude are plotted on a world map. With their help, it is easy to determine the location of the object.

A geographical map of the world is a reduced projection of the earth's surface on a plane. Continents, islands, oceans, seas, rivers, as well as countries, big cities and other objects.

• On the geographical map a grid has been drawn.
• On it you can see clearly information about the continents, seas and oceans, and the map allows you to create an image of the relief of the world.
• Using a geographical map, you can calculate the distance between cities and countries. It is also convenient to search for the location of land and ocean objects.

The shape of the Earth is like a sphere. If you need to determine a point on the surface of this sphere, then you can use the globe, which is our planet in miniature. But there is the most common way to find a point on Earth - these are geographical coordinates - latitude and longitude. These parallels are measured in degrees.

Geographic map of the world with latitude and longitude - photo:

The parallels that are drawn along and across the entire map are latitude and longitude. With their help, you can quickly and easily find any place in the world.

The geographical map of the hemispheres is convenient for perception. Africa, Eurasia and Australia are depicted on one hemisphere (eastern). On the other - the western hemisphere - North and South America.

Even our ancestors were engaged in the study of latitude and longitude. Even then there were maps of the world, not similar to modern ones, but with their help you can also determine where and what object is located. A simple explanation of what the geographic latitude and longitude of an object on a map is:

Latitude is a coordinate value in the system of spherical numbers that defines a point on the surface of our planet relative to the equator.

• If the objects are located in the northern hemisphere, then the geographic latitude is called positive, if in the southern hemisphere - negative.
• South latitude - the object is moving from the equator towards the North Pole.
• North latitude - the object is moving towards the South Pole from the equator.
• On a map, latitudes are lines that are parallel to each other. The distance between these lines is measured in degrees, minutes, seconds. One degree is 60 minutes and one minute is 60 seconds.
• The equator is zero latitude.

Longitude is a coordinate value that determines the location of the object relative to the zero meridian.

• This coordinate allows you to find out the location of the object relative to the west and east.
• Lines of longitude are meridians. They are located perpendicular to the equator.
• The zero point of longitude in geography is the Greenwich Laboratory, which is located in east London. This line of longitude is called the Greenwich meridian.
• Objects that are to the east of the Greenwich meridian are the east longitude area, and those to the west are the west longitude area.
• East longitudes are considered positive, and west longitudes are considered negative.

With the help of the meridian, such a direction as north-south is determined, and vice versa.

Latitude on a geographical map is measured from the equator - this is zero degrees. At the poles - 90 degrees of geographical latitude.

From what points, what meridian is the geographic longitude measured?

Longitude on a geographical map is measured from Greenwich. The prime meridian is 0°. The farther away from Greenwich an object is, the greater its longitude.

To determine the location of an object, you need to know its geographical latitude and longitude. As mentioned above, latitude shows the distance from the equator to a given object, and longitude shows the distance from Greenwich to the desired object or point.

How to measure, find out the geographical latitude and longitude on the world map? Each parallel of latitude is indicated by a specific number - a degree.

Meridians are also indicated by degrees.

Any point will be located either at the intersection of the meridian and the parallel, or at the intersection of intermediate indicators. Therefore, its coordinates are indicated by specific indicators of latitude and longitude. For example, St. Petersburg is located at the following coordinates: 60° north latitude and 30° east longitude.

As mentioned above, latitude is parallels. To determine it, you need to draw a line parallel to the equator or a nearby parallel.

• If the object is located on the parallel itself, then it is easy to determine its location (it was described above).
• If the object is between parallels, then its latitude is determined by the nearest parallel from the equator.
• For example, Moscow is located north of the 50th parallel. The distance to this object is measured along the meridian and it is equal to 6 °, which means that the geographical latitude of Moscow is 56 °.

An illustrative example of determining the geographical coordinates of latitude on a world map can be found in the following video:

Video: Geographic latitude and geographic longitude. Geographical coordinates

To determine geographic longitude, you need to determine the meridian on which the point is located, or its intermediate value.

• For example, St. Petersburg is located on the meridian, the value of which is 30°.
• But what if the object is located between the meridians? How to determine its longitude?
• For example, Moscow is located east of 30° east longitude.
• Now add the number of degrees along the parallel to this meridian. It turns out 8 ° means geographical longitude Moscow is equal to 38 ° east longitude.

Another example of determining the geographic coordinates of longitude and latitude on a world map in a video:

Video: Finding latitude and longitude

All parallels and meridians are indicated on any map. What is the maximum value of geographic latitude and longitude? Highest value geographic latitude - 90 °, and longitude - 180 °. The smallest value for latitude is 0° (Equator), and the smallest value for longitude is also 0° (Greenwich Mean Time).

Geographic latitude and longitude of the poles and equator: what is it?

The geographic latitude of the points of the earth's equator is 0 °, the North Pole +90 °, the South -90 °. The longitude of the poles is not determined, since these objects are located on all meridians at once.

It may be necessary for schoolchildren to determine geographic coordinates from maps in real time when performing control work or on an exam.

• It's convenient, fast and simple. The determination of the geographical coordinates of latitude and longitude on Yandex and Google maps online can be done on various services on the Internet.
• For example, it is enough to enter the name of an object, city or country, and click on it on the map. The geographical coordinates of this object will appear instantly.
• In addition, the resource will show the address of the point being determined.

The online mode is convenient in that you can find out the necessary information here and now.

If you do not know the exact address of an object, but you know its geographical coordinates, then its location is easy to find on Google or Yandex maps. How to find a place by coordinates on Yandex and Google maps? Do the following:

• Go, for example, to the Google map.
• Enter a geographic coordinate value in the search box. You can enter degrees, minutes and seconds (e.g. 41°24’12.2″N 2°10’26.5″E), degrees and decimal minutes (41 24.2028, 2 10.4418), decimal degrees: (41.40338, 2.17403).
• Click "Search", and the object you are looking for on the map will open in front of you.

The result will appear instantly, and the object itself will be marked on the map with a “red drop”.

Finding satellite maps with latitude and longitude coordinates is easy. You just need to enter keywords in the Yandex or Google search box, and the service will instantly give you what you need.

For example, " Satellite maps with latitude and longitude coordinates. Many sites will open with the provision of such a service. Choose any, click on the desired object and determine the coordinates.

The Internet gives us great opportunities. If earlier it was necessary to use only a paper map to determine longitude and latitude, now it is enough to have a gadget with a network connection.

Video: Geographical coordinates and determination of coordinates

Latitude and longitude are coordinates on the globe that will help you find a specific place. When writing latitude and longitude, it's worth making sure you're using the correct format and the correct characters to make sure you're understood. You can determine the position of various latitude and longitude points on a map and then write them down. You can write latitude and longitude using only the value of the parallel and meridian. For specific latitude and longitude points, you can write coordinates using degrees, minutes, seconds, and decimals.

Steps

Write down the main values ​​of latitude and longitude

1. Determine geographic longitude. Meridian - a line of longitude running vertically around the globe, from North to South Pole. The zero (initial) meridian is the reference point of longitude. This is the zero point. It is also called the Greenwich meridian. When writing longitude, the symbol is used ° to indicate degrees.

   • Meridians are counted east and west from zero. When moving east, the value of geographic longitude increases by one degree for each subsequent meridian. You can use the abbreviation "c. etc." ("east longitude"; the letter "E" is used for international designation - East) to indicate the longitude located east of the prime meridian. For example, geographic longitude might be 30°E. (30°E).
   • If you move west, then the value of geographic longitude also increases by one degree at each next meridian. The geographical longitude located to the west of the zero meridian is indicated by the abbreviation "z. etc." ("west longitude"; the letter "W" is used for international designation - West). For example, geographic longitude might be 15°W. (15°W).

2. Determine geographic latitude. Geographic latitude - a horizontal line (parallel) dividing Earth. Parallels stretch from east to west, starting from the equator. The geographic latitude of the equator is 0 degrees. When writing latitude, the symbol used to represent degrees is ° .

   • If you move north from the equator, then the geographical latitude increases by 1 degree with each parallel until it reaches 90 degrees. The North Pole is at 90 degrees. Geographic latitude above the equator is indicated by the abbreviation "s. sh.” ("northern latitude"; the letter "N" is used for international designation - North). For example, the geographic latitude may be 15°N. sh. (15°N).
   • If you move south from the equator, then the geographic latitude also increases by 1 degree for each successive parallel until it reaches 90 degrees. This is the South Pole. For south latitude, use the abbreviation "s. sh.” (for international designation, the letter "S" is used - South). For example, the geographic latitude might be 30°S. sh. (30°S).

3. Write down the latitude and longitude coordinates. Pick a point and find out where the lines of latitude and longitude intersect. For example, a point can be found by the coordinates of the parallel 15 ° N. sh. and meridian 30° E. e. When writing coordinates, latitude comes first, then longitude (in international writing they are separated by a comma).

   • The geographic latitude and longitude given above are written as 15° N sh. 30° in. (15°N, 30°E).

4. Determine if the value is negative or positive. In a tenths-degrees-minutes system, north, south, east, and west directions are not used. Instead, positive or negative numbers are used to define a point on the map.

   • Remember that the parallels run north or south of the equator. When using tenths to indicate latitude and longitude, positive values ​​are north of the equator and negative values ​​are south. A point with a value of 23.456 will be higher from the equator, and a point with a value of -23.456 will be lower.
   • Meridians are located east or west of the prime meridian (Greenwich). Positive values ​​indicate a point east of Greenwich, and negative values ​​indicate a point to the west. For example, a point with a value of 10.234 will be east of the prime meridian, and a point with a value of -10.234 will be west.