Extends up to 180° East (+180°) of the Prime Meridian.
e.g., 40° 44' 54" N, 73° 59' 06" W (New York City). Each degree contains 60 minutes, and each minute contains 60 seconds for high-precision mapping. meridian coordinates
Example: The Eiffel Tower sits at approximately 2° 17' 41" East. Decimal Degrees (DD) Extends up to 180° East (+180°) of the Prime Meridian
The concept of meridian coordinates dates back to ancient civilizations, with evidence of its use found in the works of Greek philosophers such as Eratosthenes and Hipparchus. However, it wasn't until the 16th century that the modern system of meridian coordinates was developed. In 1569, the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator created the Mercator projection, a cylindrical map projection that preserved angles and shapes well, making it ideal for navigation. Example: The Eiffel Tower sits at approximately 2°
While they work together to map the world, lines of longitude (meridians) and lines of latitude (parallels) behave very differently. Meridians (Longitude) Parallels (Latitude) Run North-South Run East-West Measurement Measure distance East-West Measure distance North-South Starting Line Prime Meridian (0°) Equator (0°) Range 0° to 180° E or W 0° to 90° N or S Relationship Converge at the poles Remain perfectly parallel Distance Variable distance between lines Constant distance between lines
, which divide the Earth into 60 zones, each centered on its own "central meridian" to minimize map distortion. How Meridian Coordinates Work measures your distance north or south of the Equator,
In geography, meridians are imaginary north-south lines that run from pole to pole.