Contents - Index


Physical > Latitude Longitude

 

Vector > Physical > Latitude Longitude

 

Data Source: Natural Earth > 1:10m Physical Vectors > Graticules

 

Website: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/downloads/10m-physical-vectors/

 

Description

Latitude lines (that run from North to South), and Longitude lines (that run from East to West).

 

The "latitude" (abbreviation: Lat., f, or phi) of a point on Earth's surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through (or close to) the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the Equator and to each other. The North Pole is 90° N; the South Pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the Equator, the fundamental plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The Equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

 

The "longitude" (abbreviation: Long., ?, or lambda) of a point on Earth's surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses (often called great circles), which converge at the North and South Poles. The meridian of the British Royal Observatory in Greenwich, in southeast London, England, is the international prime meridian, although some organizations-such as the French Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière-continue to use other meridians for internal purposes. The prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E. This is not to be conflated with the International Date Line, which diverges from it in several places for political and convenience reasons, including between far eastern Russia and the far western Aleutian Islands.

 

The combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The visual grid on a map formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule. The origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km (390 mi) south of Tema, Ghana, a location often facetiously called Null Island. 

 

For further information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_coordinate_system#Latitude_and_longitude

 

There are 5 line-spacing options available: 45°, 30°, 20°, 15°, 10°, selectable through the 'Additional Layer Features' control on the 'Layers Menu'.

 

This Map Layer is a Vector Layer composed of Lines and Labels, so the Style for each of these can be changed as desired by opening the 'Layers Menu', clicking the wanted layer on the left, then clicking the relevant panel controls on the right.