Latitude and Longitude Explained (Simply)
Every point on Earth can be pinned with just two numbers: latitude and longitude. Latitude tells you how far north or south you are; longitude tells you how far east or west. Together they form a grid that covers the whole planet.
Latitude: north–south
Latitude measures your distance from the Equator, the imaginary circle
halfway between the poles. It runs from -90° at the South Pole, through 0° at
the Equator, to +90° at the North Pole. Lines of latitude (called parallels) run
horizontally — east to west — and stay a constant distance apart.
- Positive latitude = North (e.g. London is about +51°).
- Negative latitude = South (e.g. Sydney is about −34°).
Longitude: east–west
Longitude measures your distance from the Prime Meridian, the reference
line running through Greenwich, London. It runs from -180° to +180°, meeting
again on the opposite side of the globe near the International Date Line. Lines of longitude (called
meridians) run vertically — pole to pole — and converge at the poles.
- Positive longitude = East (e.g. Tokyo is about +140°).
- Negative longitude = West (e.g. New York is about −74°).
Mnemonics that stick
- Latitude = "ladder" — the rungs of a ladder are horizontal, like lines of latitude.
- "Lat is flat" — latitude lines lie flat across the map.
- Longitude = "long" — the long lines running top to bottom of the globe.
How to write coordinates
The convention is latitude first, longitude second, separated by a comma. For example,
the Eiffel Tower is at 48.8584, 2.2945. You'll see two common formats:
- Decimal degrees (DD):
48.8584, 2.2945— easiest for typing and math. - Degrees, minutes, seconds (DMS):
48°51'30"N, 2°17'40"E— traditional on maps.
In games and apps, decimal degrees with signs (+ for N/E, − for S/W) are the norm because they're unambiguous and simple to compare.
Why it matters for map games
Once the grid clicks, reading a location becomes intuitive: find the horizontal band (latitude) and the vertical band (longitude), and you have a coordinate. That's the entire skill behind GpsGuessr — we show you a pin and you translate its position into those two numbers.