Longitude

What Is Longitude?

Longitude is a special way to find places on Earth. Imagine lines going from the North Pole down to the South Pole. All the places on one of these lines have the same longitude. These lines are called meridians.

The most important line is called the prime meridian. It goes near a place called the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, in Great Britain. This line helps everyone agree on where to start counting longitude.

Why Is Longitude Important?

Longitude helps us understand time because Earth spins around. If you move east or west, the time changes. For every 15 degrees you move, the time changes by one hour. This helps us know the time in faraway places.

Longitude also helps people travel and make maps. It lets us know exactly where we are on our big, round planet.

Fun Picture

This picture shows Earth with blue lines that are longitudes. Each line shows a different place from east to west.