latitudi

Latitudi, or latitude, is the angular distance of a point on the Earth’s surface north or south of the equator. It is measured in degrees (and minutes and seconds), ranging from 0° at the equator to ±90° at the poles. Positive values indicate north latitude, negative values indicate south latitude.

Lines of latitude, or parallels, are imaginary circles that run parallel to the equator. They are distinct from lines of longitude, which run from pole to pole. In modern mapping, latitude is defined relative to a reference ellipsoid, most commonly the WGS84 model used by GPS. Geodetic latitude describes the angle between the equatorial plane and the normal to the reference ellipsoid, while geocentric latitude is the angle from the Earth's center to the point on the surface.

Key latitudinal lines include the Arctic Circle (about 66.5° N), the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N), the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S), and the Antarctic Circle (66.5° S). These lines help delineate climate zones and influence patterns such as daylight duration and solar angle. Latitude is essential in navigation, cartography, weather forecasting, and geographic information systems, and it is routinely conveyed alongside longitude to pinpoint locations.

Historically, latitude development emerged from ancient astronomy and geography, with Greek and later Arabian and European scholars refining measurements through celestial observations and surveying. The advent of satellite navigation in the 20th century greatly increased precision, integrating latitude as a fundamental component of global coordinate systems used worldwide.