Lesson 71 of 84 · Maps and Geography
⭐ 30 XP🗺️ Atlas OutpostLatitude and Longitude: Finding Any Place on Earth
Latitude and longitude are the two sets of lines that help us find any place on Earth.
🎯 Your mission
Navigate the world like an explorer with a question.
⚡ The twist
Where you live shapes how you live — more than you think.
Mind = Blown
🤯 Russia spans 11 time zones. You could leave on Monday and arrive on Tuesday without traveling for a day.
Then & Now
🌍 The geography you'll learn is the same one your phone's GPS is using right now.
Latitude and longitude are the two sets of lines that help us find any place on Earth. Latitude lines run east to west and measure how far a location is from the Equator, which is 0 degrees latitude. Longitude lines run north to south and measure how far a location is from the Prime Meridian, which is 0 degrees longitude. By knowing the latitude and longitude of a place, you can pinpoint its exact location on a map!
Key Facts
Latitude lines are measured in degrees north or south of the Equator.
Longitude lines are measured in degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian.
Together, latitude and longitude create a grid that helps us locate places.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2What does latitude measure?
Why this still matters
Every label on the food in your kitchen says where it traveled from.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find where everything in your fridge came from this week.
For the dinner table
“If you could live anywhere on Earth, where would it be — and why?”
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