Light

Longitude

Definition

Longitude is the measurement of distance east or west of the Prime Meridian, which runs from the North Pole to the South Pole. It's expressed in degrees and helps determine a location's position on Earth.

Analogy

Think of longitude as the slices in a pizza. The whole pizza represents our planet, Earth. Each slice, no matter where it comes from, will always touch the center (the Prime Meridian) just like lines of longitude all converge at the poles.

Related terms

Meridian: A meridian is an imaginary line joining the north and south poles at right angles to the equator, identified by a longitudinal number.

Prime Meridian: This is zero degrees longitude and serves as an international baseline for time zones. It passes through Greenwich, London.

Equator: This is an imaginary line around Earth that divides it into two equal parts - Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere. It sits at zero degrees latitude.