10 Facts about Longitude and Latitude

Post On: March 6, 2017
By: Agustina

Facts about Longitude and Latitude tell the readers about the geographic coordinate system. The symbols, letters or numbers are used to specify the exact location on earth using the coordinate system. The vertical and horizontal position will affect the ways the coordinate system is written. The vertical position is usually represented with one of the numbers. The horizontal position is represented with two or three of the numbers. Latitude, longitude and elevation are the common coordinates in the world. Let us get other interesting facts about longitude and latitude below:

Facts about Longitude and Latitude 1: a map projection

A map projection will be needed when you want to find out a location on the 2D map.

Facts about Longitude and Latitude

Facts about Longitude and Latitude

Facts about Longitude and Latitude 2: Eratosthenes of Cyrene

Eratosthenes of Cyrene took the credit as the inventor of a geographic coordinate system.

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Facts about Longitude and Latitude 3: the composition

In the third century BC, Eratosthenes of Cyrene created Geography housed at Library of Alexandria. Now it is lost.



 

Longitude and Latitude Facts

Longitude and Latitude Facts

Facts about Longitude and Latitude 4: Hipparchus of Nicaea

The improvement of the system was created by Hipparchus of Nicaea 100 years later. He used the stellar measurement to determine the latitude. The simultaneous timings of lunar eclipse were used to decide the longitude. He did not use dead reckoning or even solar altitude to decide the longitude and latitude respectively.

Facts about Longitude and Latitude 5: International Meridian Conference

International Meridian Conference was hosted in United States in 1884. There were 25 nations, which came to the conference.

Facts about Longitude and Latitude 6: the zero reference line

According to the conference, the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, English was adopted as the zero reference line. Of the 25 nations, 22 of them agreed with the decision.

Longitude and Latitude Image

Longitude and Latitude Image

Facts about Longitude and Latitude 7: against the zero reference line

The motion related to the usage of Greenwich as the zero reference line was rejected by Dominican Republic. The abstained decision was taken by Brazil and France.

Facts about Longitude and Latitude 8: France in 1911

In 1911, France adopted Greenwich Mean Time to replace the Paris Observatory as the zero reference line.

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Facts about Longitude and Latitude 9: what is latitude?

The equator determines the degree parallel of latitude. The equator divides earth into Southern and Northern Hemisphere.

Longitude and Latitude

Longitude and Latitude

Facts about Longitude and Latitude 10: what is longitude?

The longitude or prime meridian divides the globe into Eastern and Western Hemisphere.

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