Words / B2

LONG-it-yood/ˈlɒŋɡɪtjuːd/

Longitude is distance east or west of the Greenwich meridian, in degrees: 2° W longitude; a longitude line. Latitude is north–south (C1, already elsewhere); meridian is the reference line. Plot longitude as well as latitude. Mix-up: length is how long something is; longitude is not “long attitude”. Do not swap longitude and latitude on a map question.

Meaning

The distance east or west of the Greenwich meridian, measured in degrees.

Examples

• “Plot longitude as well as latitude or the ship’s position is incomplete.”
• “The prime meridian defines longitude 0°, which is the Greenwich sense.”

Good to know

degrees east / west; a line of longitude. Twin: latitude (N–S). Trap: length. Geography and navigation. East–west, not how long a river is.

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