What is the difference between latitude and longitude in geography?

Question

Latitude and longitude are two basic terms that appear in almost every geography textbook and exam paper. They are used to locate any place on Earth, but many students get confused between them. What is the difference between latitude and longitude, and why are both important?

Answer 1

Latitude lines run horizontally (east–west) around the Earth and measure how far a place is north or south of the Equator (0° latitude). Important latitude lines include the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N), Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S), Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle. Latitude influences climate—places near the equator are generally hotter, while those near the poles are colder.

Answer 2

Longitude lines run vertically (north–south) from pole to pole and measure how far a place is east or west of the Prime Meridian (0° longitude), which passes through Greenwich, near London. Longitude is closely linked with time zones. As the Earth rotates, different longitudes experience sunrise and sunset at different times. Using both latitude and longitude together, we can find the exact location of any city, island or landmark on the globe—for example, New Delhi is roughly at 28.6°N, 77.2°E.