1. Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Introduction to Mapping
How could you describe the exact location of a dot on a basketball?
It would be just as hard to describe a position on earth without some sort of grid system to give you an exact location.
This grid system is called latitude and longitude.
Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Mr. Fetch’s Earth Science Classroom A+

2. Separate Earth into northern and southern hemispheres
Latitude Lines
Latitude Lines
Drawn east to west
Called Parallels
Separate Earth into northern and southern hemispheres
Measure north to south
Labeled using N or S
(N) if located in the northern hemisphere.
(S) if located in the southern hemisphere.
RANGE: degrees
Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Mr. Fetch’s Earth Science Classroom A+

3. Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Latitude Lines
90°N North Pole
23.5°N Tropic of Cancer
0° Equator
23.5° S Tropic of Capricorn
90°S South Pole
Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Mr. Fetch’s Earth Science Classroom A+

4. Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Latitude Lines
For example: The tropic of cancer is 23.5°N.
What is the range of possible latitude?
0° - 90° N
and
0° - 90° S
Label north if in northern hemisphere and south if in southern hemisphere.
Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Mr. Fetch’s Earth Science Classroom A+

5. Separate Earth into eastern and western hemispheres
Longitude Lines
Longitude Lines
Drawn north to south
Called Meridians
Separate Earth into eastern and western hemispheres
Measure east to west
Labeled using E or W
(E) if located in the eastern hemisphere.
(W) if located in the western hemisphere.
RANGE: degrees
Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Mr. Fetch’s Earth Science Classroom A+

6. Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Longitude Lines
Longitude lines are curved and meet at the poles.
0° Prime Meridian
Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Mr. Fetch’s Earth Science Classroom A+

7. Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Latitude and Longitude Lines
We can put latitude and longitude together to find exact locations on earth’s surface.
Example: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Use latitude to find how far north or south.
Use longitude to find how far west or east.
44°N, 90°W
Latitude is always first.
Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
Mr. Fetch’s Earth Science Classroom A+

8. Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
GPS: Global Positioning System
A GPS is a Global Positioning System that uses satellites to find exact locations on Earth’s Surface.
GPS was put into effect by the department of defense for military use, but has now become used by the public.
Mr. Fetch's Earth Science Class
20,200km above
Mr. Fetch’s Earth Science Classroom A+