Latitude and Longitude: Map Skills & Geography Study Guide Subject: Geography | Grade: Grade 3-6 How do GPS systems, pilots, and explorers find an exact point in the middle of a massive ocean? They use a grid system of imaginary lines wrapped around the Earth. These lines are called latitude and longitude. Here is how to understand and read global coordinates: Lines of Latitude (Parallels) Latitude lines run east-west around the globe, but they measure distances north and south of the Equator. • The Equator: The starting point of latitude, located at \. It splits the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. • Latitude ranges from \ at the Equator to \ at the North Pole and \ at the South Pole. Memory Tip*: Latitude lines look like rungs of a ladder (lat = flat). Lines of Longitude (Meridians) Longitude lines run north-south from pole to pole, but they measure distances east and west of the Prime Meridian. • The Prime Meridian: The starting point of longitude, located at \ in Greenwich, England. It splits the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. • Longitude