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. A meridian is a line of longitude that runs vertically around the globe, from the North Pole to the 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 is a horizontal line (parallel) dividing the globe. 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.

Recall that geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) - these are angular quantities that determine the position of objects on the earth's surface and on the map. In this case, the latitude of a point is the angle formed by the plane of the equator and the normal to the surface of the earth's ellipsoid passing through the given point. Latitudes are counted along the meridian arc from the equator to the poles from 0 to 90°; in the northern hemisphere, latitudes are called northern (positive), in the southern - southern (negative).

The longitude of a point is the dihedral angle between the plane of the Greenwich meridian and the plane of the meridian of the given point. Longitude is calculated along the arc of the equator or parallel in both directions from the prime meridian, from 0 to 180°. The longitude of points located east of Greenwich up to 180 ° is called eastern (positive), to the west - western (negative).

Geographic (cartographic, degree) grid - the image on the map of the lines of parallels and meridians; used to determine the geographical (geodetic) coordinates of points (objects) and target designation. On topographic maps, the lines of parallels and meridians are the inner frames of the sheets; their latitude and longitude are signed at the corners of each sheet. The geographic grid is fully displayed only on topographic maps at a scale of 1: 500000 (parallels are drawn through 30 "and meridians through 20") and 1: 1000000 (parallels are drawn through 1 °, and meridians through 40 "). Inside each sheet of the map on lines of parallels and meridians are signed by their latitude and longitude, which allow you to determine the geographical coordinates on a large gluing of maps.

On maps of scales 1:25000, 1:50000, 1:100000 and 1:200000, the sides of the frames are divided into segments equal in degrees to 1". by 10". In addition, inside each sheet of maps at a scale of 1:50000 and 1:100000, the intersection of the middle parallels and the meridian is shown and their digitization in degrees and minutes is given, and along the inner frame the outputs of minute divisions are given with strokes 2-3 mm long, along which parallels can be drawn and meridians on a map glued together from several sheets.

If the territory for which the map was created is located in the Western Hemisphere, then in the northwestern corner of the sheet frame, to the right of the meridian longitude signature, the inscription "West of Greenwich" is placed.

The determination of the geographical coordinates of a point on the map is carried out according to the parallels and meridians closest to it, the latitude and longitude of which are known. To do this, on maps with a scale of 1:25000 - 1:200000, you should first draw a parallel to the south of the point and a meridian to the west, connecting the corresponding strokes on the sides of the sheet frame with lines (Fig. 2.6). Then, segments are taken from the drawn lines to the determined point (ah 1 Ah 2 ), apply them to the degree scales on the sides of the frame and take readings. In the example in Fig. 1.2.6, the point A has coordinates B \u003d 54 ° 35 "40" north latitude, L= 37°41"30" East longitude.

Drawing a point on the map by geographic coordinates . On the western and eastern sides of the frame of the map sheet, the readings corresponding to the latitude of the point are marked with dashes. The latitude reading starts from the digitization of the southern side of the frame and continues in minute and second intervals. Then a line is drawn through these lines - a parallel to the point.

In the same way, the meridian of the point passing through the point is built, only its longitude is counted along the southern and northern sides of the frame. The intersection of the parallel and the meridian will indicate the position of this point on the map. Figure 2.6 shows an example of drawing a point on a map M by coordinates B = 54°38.4"N, L= 37°34.4"E

Rice. 2.6 Determination of geographic coordinates on the map and plotting points on the map by geographic coordinates

Measured from 0° to 90° either side of the equator. The geographical latitude of points lying in the northern hemisphere (northern latitude) is considered to be positive, the latitude of points in the southern hemisphere is negative. It is customary to speak of latitudes close to the poles as high, and about those close to the equator - as about low.

Due to the difference in the shape of the Earth from the ball, the geographical latitude of the points differs somewhat from their geocentric latitude, that is, from the angle between the direction to a given point from the center of the Earth and the plane of the equator.

Longitude

Longitude- the angle λ between the plane of the meridian passing through the given point, and the plane of the initial zero meridian, from which the longitude is counted. Longitudes from 0° to 180° east of the prime meridian are called east, to the west - west. Eastern longitudes are considered to be positive, western - negative.

Height

To fully determine the position of a point in three-dimensional space, a third coordinate is needed - height. The distance to the center of the planet is not used in geography: it is convenient only when describing very deep regions of the planet or, on the contrary, when calculating orbits in space.

Within the geographic envelope, the "height above sea level" is usually used, measured from the level of the "smoothed" surface - the geoid. Such a system of three coordinates turns out to be orthogonal, which simplifies a number of calculations. Altitude above sea level is also convenient in that it is related to atmospheric pressure.

The distance from the earth's surface (up or down) is often used to describe a location, however Not serves coordinate

Geographic coordinate system

The main drawback in the practical application of the HCS in navigation is the large values ​​of the angular velocity of this system at high latitudes, which increase up to infinity at the pole. Therefore, instead of the HCS, a semi-free CS in azimuth is used.

Semi-free in azimuth coordinate system

The semi-free in azimuth SC differs from the HSC in only one equation, which has the form:

Accordingly, the system has the same initial position that the HCS and their orientation also coincide with the only difference that its axes and are deviated from the corresponding axes of the HCS by an angle for which the equation is valid

The conversion between the HCS and semi-free in the azimuth of the CS is carried out according to the formula

In reality, all calculations are carried out in this system, and then, to issue output information, the coordinates are transformed into the GCS.

Recording formats for geographic coordinates

The WGS84 system is used to record geographic coordinates.

Coordinates (latitude -90° to +90°, longitude -180° to +180°) can be written:

• in ° degrees as a decimal fraction (modern version)
• in ° degrees and "minutes with decimals
• in ° degrees, " minutes and " seconds with a decimal fraction (historical notation)

The decimal separator is always a dot. Positive signs of coordinates are represented by the (in most cases, omitted) sign "+", or by the letters: "N" - north latitude and "E" - east longitude. Negative signs of coordinates are represented either by a "-" sign or by the letters: "S" - southern latitude and "W" - western longitude. Letters can stand both in front and behind.

There are no uniform rules for recording coordinates.

By default, search engine maps show coordinates in degrees with a decimal fraction with "-" signs for negative longitude. On Google maps and Yandex maps, latitude first, then longitude (until October 2012, the reverse order was adopted on Yandex maps: first longitude, then latitude). These coordinates are visible, for example, when laying routes from arbitrary points. The search also recognizes other formats.

In navigators, by default, degrees and minutes are more often shown with a decimal fraction with a letter designation, for example, in Navitel, in iGO. You can enter coordinates in accordance with other formats. The degrees and minutes format is also recommended for maritime communications.

At the same time, the original way of writing with degrees, minutes and seconds is often used. Currently, coordinates can be written in one of many ways or duplicated in two main ways (with degrees and with degrees, minutes and seconds). As an example, the options for recording the coordinates of the sign "Zero kilometer of the roads of the Russian Federation" - 55.755831 , 37.617673 55°45′20.99″ N sh. 37°37′03.62″ E d. /  55.755831 , 37.617673 (G) (O) (I):

• 55.755831°, 37.617673° -- degrees
• N55.755831°, E37.617673° -- degrees (+ additional letters)
• 55°45.35"N, 37°37.06"E -- degrees and minutes (+ additional letters)
• 55°45"20.9916"N, 37°37"3.6228"E -- degrees, minutes and seconds (+ additional letters)

Links

• Geographic coordinates of all cities on Earth (English)
• Geographical coordinates of the settlements of the Earth (1) (eng.)
• Geographical coordinates of the settlements of the Earth (2) (eng.)
• Converting coordinates from degrees to degrees/minutes, to degrees/minutes/seconds and vice versa
• Converting coordinates from degrees to degrees/minutes/seconds and vice versa

see also

Notes

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

See what "Geographic coordinates" are in other dictionaries:

See Coordinates. Mountain Encyclopedia. Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia. Edited by E. A. Kozlovsky. 1984 1991 ... Geological Encyclopedia

- (latitude and longitude), determine the position of a point on the earth's surface. Geographical latitude j is the angle between the plumb line at a given point and the plane of the equator, counted from 0 to 90 degrees on both sides of the equator. Geographic longitude l angle ... ... Modern Encyclopedia

Latitude and longitude determine the position of a point on the earth's surface. Geographic latitude? the angle between the plumb line at a given point and the plane of the equator, counted from 0 to 90. in both directions from the equator. Geographic longitude? angle between ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Angular values ​​that determine the position of a point on the surface of the Earth: latitude - the angle between the plumb line at a given point and the plane of the earth's equator, measured from 0 to 90 ° (northern latitude north of the equator and southern latitude south); longitude ... ... Marine dictionary

The concept of coordinates includes angular and linear numbers, with the help of which the position of a particular point in space or on a surface is determined. With these readings, you can navigate any terrain and even create your own maps.

Of course, for this you need to know how to correctly determine the geographical coordinates so that the location of the object is displayed as accurately as possible. Now modern GPS navigators come to the aid of tourists, but having skills in determining coordinates manually is still useful, because it will help you orient yourself and make a route even far from civilization.

Instructions on how to determine geographic coordinates

Determining geographic coordinates begins with setting two values: latitude and longitude, which are displayed in degrees (Figure 1).

The easiest way to determine the latitude. If the point is located in the northern hemisphere, its coordinates (width) will also be northern, and if in the southern, then, respectively, southern. To determine the latitude, any map or globe has longitudinal lines - parallels, which are located parallel to the equator. The equator has a zero degree, and at the poles this figure is equal to 90 degrees.

Figure 1. To determine the coordinates, you need latitude and longitude

The second necessary indicator is longitude. It displays the distance from the zero meridian in Greenwich to a certain point on the ground. Longitude is west and east. This indicator is determined by the meridians, which run along the map or globe vertically and parallel to zero. By adding the coordinates of two points together, you can get the exact position of an object.

Basic concepts

From the previous section, we can conclude that the indicators of latitude and longitude are the main coordinates for determining the position of an object on the ground.

However, if you need to know the location of a specific place that does not occupy a large area, you will additionally need other data, in particular, minutes and seconds. These are more accurate coordinates, with which you can determine the position of an object up to several kilometers. As a rule, these data are used in high-precision maps and in military topography, but tourists can also come in handy.

Measuring distances with a graticule

The easiest way to determine geographic coordinates is with the help of a degree grid. It is applied to any map or globe and allows you to determine the exact location of an object on the ground.

The degree grid consists of parallels and meridians, which are measured from the equator and the Greenwich prime meridian, respectively.

This data is used to determine distances on the map. Knowing the coordinates of certain objects on the map, you can calculate the approximate distance between them, since each degree is equal to 111.1 km. In this case, the role is played by the direction of the location of objects (Figure 2).

For example, if the distance is calculated from north to south, you must first determine the latitude of the northern and latitude of the southern point, and then multiply the resulting number by 111.1. This is sufficient, since the length of the meridians at any point on the planet is approximately the same.

Calculating distances from east to west is more difficult. In the case of latitude, the length of the parallel decreases towards the poles. For example, at the equator it is 111 km, at 20 degrees north or south it is already 105 km, and at the poles it decreases to zero. That is why you need to know exactly the number of kilometers corresponding to one degree at each latitude. At 40 degrees north latitude, one degree is equal to 85.4 km, and at 60 - already 55.8 km. Fortunately, this number is indicated on each parallel on globes and maps. So, first you have to find out the longitude of the objects you are looking for, and then focus on their location. If both objects are located in the Eastern Hemisphere, it is enough to determine the difference between them in degrees. If the longitude is different, the difference must be multiplied by the appropriate number of kilometers for each parallel.

Geographic degree

The position of any object on a topographic map is determined in degrees. In fact, this indicator measures the angles from the center of the Earth to a certain point on the surface of the planet, and the shape of the Earth in this case is taken as a sphere.

Accordingly, the sphere (planet) is divided into equal parts (degrees). The whole circle is divided into 360 degrees, each of which, in turn, consists of 60 minutes, and in one minute there are 60 seconds. Knowing all these data, you can very accurately determine the location of the object on the map (Figure 3).

The equator is considered zero degrees. In the northern hemisphere, latitude values ​​are positive, and in the southern hemisphere, they are negative. Longitude, in turn, determines the angles in the direction from east to west, and the countdown is from the prime meridian in Greenwich. To the west of it, the values ​​will be negative, and to the east - positive.

To make this complex system easier to understand, let's take an example. The American city of Los Angeles lies at a latitude of plus 33 degrees (since it is located in the northern hemisphere) and a longitude of minus 118 degrees, since it is located west of Greenwich.

Rules for determining longitude and latitude

From everything written above, we can conclude that latitude and longitude play a decisive role in determining the coordinates on the map, so it is extremely important to learn how to determine them.

Let's focus on latitude first. The zero point here is the equator with zero degrees. Parallels diverge from it to the poles. At the pole, the latitude is 90 degrees, and all points located at an equal distance from the equator towards one of the poles have the same north or south latitude (for example, 20, 40 or 60 degrees). At the same time, the farther the object on the map is from the equator and closer to the pole, the greater its latitude will be (Figure 4).

Geographic longitude on maps and globes is measured from the meridian in Greenwich, which is considered zero. Here, as in the case of latitude, moving away from this meridian leads to an increase in longitude. In this case, the maximum indicator of longitude is 180 degrees, since the full circumference of the sphere (Eastern and Western hemispheres) is 360 degrees.

To determine the geographical coordinates of an object on the map, you need to do the following:

1. Determine in which hemisphere the point is located, in the northern or southern. If it is above the equator, then the latitude will be north, and if it is below, it will be south.
2. Next, you need to look between which parallels the point is located. Degrees of parallels are usually indicated on the side of the map.
3. Now you need to calculate the number of degrees from the nearest parallel from the equator to a given point.
4. Next, we turn to the definition of longitude. Here the countdown is from the zero meridian in Greenwich. If the point is located to the left of it, then the point is in the western hemisphere, and if it is to the right, in the eastern hemisphere.
5. Now we find between which meridians the point is located, and, as in the case of latitude, we count the number of degrees to the nearest meridian from Greenwich.

As a result, you will get the exact latitude and longitude, as well as a certain number of degrees for each indicator, which refine the location of the object.

It is possible to determine the location of a point on the planet Earth, as well as on any other planet of a spherical shape, using geographical coordinates - latitude and longitude. Right-angled intersections of circles and arcs create a corresponding grid, which makes it possible to uniquely determine the coordinates. A good example is an ordinary school globe lined with horizontal circles and vertical arcs. How to use the globe will be discussed below.

This system is measured in degrees (degree angle). The angle is calculated strictly from the center of the sphere to a point on the surface. Relative to the axis, the degree of the angle of latitude is calculated vertically, longitude - horizontally. To calculate the exact coordinates, there are special formulas, where one more value is often found - height, which serves mainly to represent three-dimensional space and allows calculations to determine the position of a point relative to sea level.

Latitude and longitude - terms and definitions

The earth's sphere is divided by an imaginary horizontal line into two equal parts of the world - the northern and southern hemispheres - into the positive and negative poles, respectively. This is how the definitions of northern and southern latitudes are introduced. Latitude is represented as circles parallel to the equator, called parallels. The equator itself with a value of 0 degrees is the starting point for measurements. The closer the parallel is to the upper or lower pole, the smaller its diameter and the higher or lower the angular degree. For example, the city of Moscow is located at 55 degrees north latitude, which determines the location of the capital as approximately equidistant from both the equator and the north pole.

Meridian - the so-called longitude, represented as a vertical arc strictly perpendicular to the circles of the parallel. The sphere is divided into 360 meridians. The reference point is the zero meridian (0 degrees), the arcs of which pass vertically through the points of the north and south poles and spread in east and west directions. This defines the angle of longitude from 0 to 180 degrees, calculated from the center to the extreme points to the east or south.

Unlike latitude, which is based on the equatorial line, any meridian can be zero. But for convenience, namely the convenience of counting time, the Greenwich meridian was determined.

Geographic coordinates - place and time

Latitude and longitude allow you to assign to a particular place on the planet an exact geographical address, measured in degrees. Degrees, in turn, are divided into smaller units, such as minutes and seconds. Each degree is divided into 60 parts (minutes), and each minute is divided into 60 seconds. On the example of Moscow, the record looks like this: 55° 45′ 7″ N, 37° 36′ 56″ E or 55 degrees, 45 minutes, 7 seconds north latitude and 37 degrees, 36 minutes, 56 seconds south longitude.

The interval between the meridians is 15 degrees and about 111 km along the equator - this is the distance the Earth rotates in one hour. It takes 24 hours for a full turn, which is a day.

Use the globe

The model of the Earth is accurately reproduced on a globe with a realistic rendering of all continents, seas and oceans. As auxiliary lines, parallels and meridians are drawn on the map of the globe. Almost any globe has in its design a sickle-shaped meridian, which is installed on the base and serves as an auxiliary measure.

The meridian arc is equipped with a special degree scale, which determines the latitude. Longitude can be found using another scale - a hoop, horizontally installed at the level of the equator. By marking the place you are looking for with your finger and rotating the globe around its axis towards the auxiliary arc, we fix the latitude value (depending on the location of the object, it will turn out to be either north or south). Then we mark the data of the equator scale at the place of its intersection with the meridian arc and determine the longitude. To find out whether it is east or south longitude, you can only relative to the zero meridian.