The earth is divided into imaginary gridlines: longitude (north-south) and latitude (east-west). The U.S. National Atlas explains that geographic coordinates pinpoint a location’s position in terms of latitude and longitude expressed as degrees. Because the earth is a circle, it has 360 degrees. Zero degrees latitude is the equator, and zero degrees longitude is the Prime Meridian, which runs through Greenwich, England. Geographers subdivide each degree into 60 minutes and each minute into 60 seconds for more precision. The same degree symbol for temperature stands for degree coordinates, with an apostrophe for minutes and a quotation mark as seconds. Tips Warnings Writer Bio
