In geographic terms, what does latitude represent?

Latitude is fundamentally related to geographic positioning, specifically in how we define a location's distance relative to the equator. Latitude measures the angle north or south from the equator, expressed in degrees. This characteristic illustrates the concept of latitude as a line running horizontally across the Earth, paralleling the equator, which is designated as 0° latitude.

Key elements of latitude include:

• The equator marks the central line at 0° latitude, with values increasing to 90° as one moves toward the poles, either north (up to 90° N) or south (up to 90° S).
• Lines of latitude are important in various applications, including navigation, climate studies, and time zone determination.

In contrast to longitude, which measures distance east or west of the prime meridian and is thus related to the vertical aspect of the geographic coordinate system, latitude strictly addresses the horizontal aspect. Therefore, the most accurate characterization of latitude is its representation of distance from the equator measured in degrees, distinguishing it from positional measurements related to the prime meridian, which pertain to longitude.