What Are Latitudes And Longitudes?

           Latitudes and Longitudes are imaginary lines on the globe running from North to South and from West to East respectively. These lines are used to identify a location on the earth very accurately. The latitudes start from the Equator which is zero degrees and go to 90' N and 90'S. The equator divides the earth into a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere. 90'N is called the North pole while 90'S is called the South pole. Some important latitudes divide the earth into different zones. The 23.5' North and South latitudes enclose the torrid zone.

           Torrid zone has extreme temperatures. It is generally hot with plenty of rains.  They have thick, evergreen forests. Between 23.5' and 44.5' is the Temperate zone. This zone has relatively mild climate with mild summers and mild winters. Beyond the temperate zone is the frigid zone where the climate is marked by very harsh winters with freezing temperatures throughout most of the year.

           Meridians of longitudes run from 0' to 360', 0' being the prime meridian of Greenwich. Each meridian marks a time change of 4 minutes.