latitudinal

Latitudinal is an adjective relating to latitude, the geographic coordinate that specifies a point’s distance north or south of the equator. Latitudes are measured in degrees, with 0° at the equator, 90°N at the North Pole, and 90°S at the South Pole. The term is used to describe positions, lines, and patterns tied to latitude as opposed to longitude, which measures east–west position.

In geography and related fields, latitudinal concepts are fundamental because latitude strongly influences climate, daylight hours, and biodiversity. Latitudinal lines are parallels, circles of constant latitude that run east–west around the globe. Latitudinal patterns are often described in terms of gradients: for example, latitudinal gradients in species richness, where biodiversity generally increases toward tropical latitudes, or broad latitudinal zoning into tropical, temperate, and polar regions.

Latitudinal information is widely used in mapping, navigation, and analysis of satellite data. The word latitudinal is formed from latitude, with the suffix -al to indicate a relation, and derives from Latin latitūdō, meaning breadth or width. The adverbial form is latitudinally. In practical contexts, you may encounter phrases such as latitudinal coordinates, latitudinal distribution of organisms, or latitudinal climate differences.