Each point on the planet's surface has a specific position, which corresponds to its own coordinate in latitude and longitude. It is located at the intersection of the spherical arcs of the meridian, which is responsible for longitude, with a parallel, which corresponds to latitude. It is denoted by a pair of angular values expressed in degrees, minutes, seconds, which has the definition of a coordinate system.
Latitude and longitude are the geographical aspect of a plane or sphere, carried over into topographic images. For a more accurate location of any point, its height above sea level is also taken into account, which allows you to find it in three-dimensional space.
The need to find a point by the coordinates of latitude and longitude arises on duty and by occupation among rescuers, geologists, military, sailors, archaeologists, pilots and drivers, but tourists, travelers, seekers, researchers may also need it.
What is latitude and how to find it
Latitude is the distance from an object to the equator line. It is measured in angular units (such as degrees, degrees, minutes, seconds, etc.). Latitude on a map or globe is indicated by horizontal parallels - lines that describe a circle parallel to the equator and converge in the form of a series of tapering rings to the poles.
Therefore, they distinguish between northern latitude - this is the entire part of the earth's surface north of the equator, and also southern - this is the entire part of the planet's surface south of the equator. Equator - zero, the longest parallel. 
- The parallels from the equator line to the north pole are considered to be a positive value from 0° to 90°, where 0° is the equator itself, and 90° is the top of the north pole. They are counted as north latitude (NL).
- Parallels extending from the equator towards the south pole are indicated by a negative value from 0° to -90°, where -90° is the location of the south pole. They are counted as south latitude (S).
- On a globe, parallels are depicted as circles encircling the ball, which decrease as they approach the poles.
- All points on the same parallel will have the same latitude but different longitudes.
On the maps, based on their scale, the parallels are in the form of horizontal, curved arc stripes - the smaller the scale, the straighter the parallel strip is shown, and the larger it is, the more curved it is.
Remember! The closer a given area is to the equator, the lower its latitude will be.
What is longitude and how to find it
Longitude is the amount by which the position of a given area is removed relative to Greenwich, that is, the zero meridian.
Longitude is similarly inherent in the measurement in angular units, only from 0 ° to 180 ° and with the prefix - east or west. 
- The zero meridian of Greenwich vertically encircles the globe of the Earth, passing through both poles, dividing it into the western and eastern hemispheres.
- Each of the parts to the west of Greenwich (in the Western Hemisphere) will have a West Longitude (WL) designation.
- Each of the parts east of Greenwich and located in the eastern hemisphere will carry the designation of east longitude (E.L.).
- Finding each point along one meridian has a single longitude, but a different latitude.
- The meridians are plotted on the maps in the form of vertical stripes, curved in the form of an arc. The smaller the scale of the map, the straighter the meridian strip will be.
How to find the coordinates of a given point on the map
Often you have to find out the coordinates of a point that is located on the map in a square between the two nearest parallels and meridians. Approximate data can be obtained by eye by successively estimating the step in degrees between the lines plotted on the map in the area of interest, and then comparing the distance from them to the desired area. For accurate calculations, you will need a pencil with a ruler, or a compass. 
- For the initial data, we take the designations of the parallels with the meridian closest to our point.
- Next, we look at the step between their stripes in degrees.
- Then we look at the size of their step on the map in cm.
- We measure with a ruler in cm the distance from a given point to the nearest parallel, as well as the distance between this line and the neighboring one, translate it into degrees and take into account the difference - subtracting from the larger one, or adding to the smaller one.
- Thus we get the latitude.
Example! The distance between the parallels 40° and 50°, among which our area is located, is 2 cm or 20 mm, and the step between them is 10°. Accordingly, 1° is equal to 2 mm. Our point is removed from the fortieth parallel by 0.5 cm or 5 mm. We find degrees to our area 5/2 = 2.5 °, which must be added to the value of the nearest parallel: 40 ° + 2.5 ° = 42.5 ° - this is our northern latitude of the given point. In the southern hemisphere, the calculations are similar, but the result has a negative sign.
Similarly, we find the longitude - if the nearest meridian is farther from Greenwich, and the given point is closer, then we subtract the difference, if the meridian is closer to Greenwich, and the point is further, then we add.
If only a compass was found at hand, then each of the segments is fixed with its tips, and the thrust is transferred to the scale.
Similarly, calculations of coordinates on the surface of the globe are made.
Before you dive into reading GPS coordinates, it's important that you have a good understanding of the GPS system and a basic knowledge of geographic lines of latitude and longitude. Once you understand that reading coordinates is very easy, you can practice with online tools.
Introduction to GPS
GPS stands for Global Positioning System; a system that is used worldwide for navigation and geodesy. It is widely used to accurately determine your location at any point on the surface of the Earth and obtain the current time at a specific location.
This is made possible by a network of 24 artificial satellites called GPS satellites that orbit over the Earth's surface at great distances. Using low power radio waves, devices can communicate with satellites to pinpoint their location on the globe.
Initially used only by the military, GPS became available for civilian use nearly 30 years ago. It is supported by the US Department of Defense.
Latitude and longitude
The GPS system uses geographic lines of latitude and longitude to provide the coordinates of a person's location or an object's location. Reading and understanding GPS coordinates requires a basic understanding of navigation using lines of latitude and longitude. Using both sets of lines provides coordinates for various locations around the world. 
Lines of latitude
Lines of latitude are horizontal lines that run from east to west across the globe. The longest and main line of latitude is called the equator. The equator is represented as 0° latitude. 
Moving north of the equator, each line of latitude increases by 1°. So there will be lines of latitude representing 1°, 2°, 3°, and so on up to 90°. The image above only displays the 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75° and 90° lines of latitude above the equator. You will notice that the 90° line of latitude is depicted as a point at the North Pole.
All lines of latitude above the equator are marked with "N" to indicate north of the equator. So we have 15°N, 30°N, 45°N, and so on.
Moving south of the equator, each line of latitude also increases by 1°. There will be lines of latitude representing 1°, 2°, 3°, and so on up to 90°. The image above only displays the 15°, 30°, and 45° lines of latitude below the equator. The 90° line of latitude is depicted as a point at the South Pole.
All lines of latitude below the equator are denoted by an 'S' to indicate south of the equator. So we have 15°C, 30°C, 45°C, and so on.
Lines Longitude
Lines of longitude are vertical lines that extend from the North Pole to the South Pole. The main line of longitude is called the meridian. The meridian is represented as 0° longitude. 
Moving east of the meridian each line of latitude increases by 1°. So there will be lines of longitude representing 1°, 2°, 3°, and so on up to 180°. The image only displays the 20°, 40°, 60°, 80°, and 90° lines of longitude east of the meridian.
All lines of longitude east of the meridian are marked with an "E" to indicate east of the Prime Meridian. So we have 15°E, 30°E, 45°E, and so on.
Moving west of the meridian each line of latitude increases by 1°. There will be a line of longitude representing 1°, 2°, 3°, and so on up to 180°. The image above only displays the 20°, 40° 60°, 80° and 90° lines of longitude west of the meridian.
All lines of longitude west of the meridian are marked with a "W" to indicate west of the meridian. So we have 15°W, 30°W, 45°W, and so on.
You can view more details about the latitude and longitude line by watching this YouTube video at the link below:
Reading Geographic Coordinates
Global navigation uses lines of latitude and longitude to pinpoint a specific location on the Earth's surface. It is given as geographic coordinates.
Let the Location be along a line of latitude 10°N and along a line of longitude 70°W. When stating a location coordinate, the line of latitude is always listed first, followed by the line of longitude. Thus, the coordinates of this place would be: 10° north latitude, 70° west longitude.
Coordinates can simply be written as 10°N, 70°W
However, most places on Earth do not lie along lines of latitude and longitude, but in shapes created from the intersection of horizontal and vertical lines. To pinpoint location on the Earth's surface, lines of latitude and longitude are further separated and expressed in one of three common formats:
1 / degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS)
The space between each latitude or longitude line representing 1° is divided into 60 minutes, and each minute is divided into 60 seconds. An example of such a format:
41°24'12.2"N 2°10'26.5"E
The line of latitude reads 41 degrees (41°), 24 minutes (24'), 12.2 seconds (12.2') north. The line of longitude is read as 2 degrees (2°), 10 minutes (10'), 26.5 seconds (12.2') east.
2 / degrees and decimal minutes (DMM)
The space between each latitude or longitude line representing 1° is divided into 60 minutes, and each minute is divided and expressed as decimal places. An example of such a format:
41 24,2028, 10,4418 2
The line of latitude reads 41 degrees (41), 24.2028 minutes (24.2028) north. The coordinates for the line of latitude represent north of the equator because it is positive. If the number is negative, it represents south of the equator.
The line of longitude reads 2 degrees (2), 10.4418 minutes (10.4418) east. The coordinate for the line of longitude represents east of the meridian because it is positive. If the number is negative, it is represented to the west of the meridian.
3 / Decimal degrees (DD)
The space between each line of longitude or latitude representing 1° is divided and expressed as decimal places. An example of such a format:
41,40338, 2,17403
The line of latitude reads 41.40338 degrees north latitude. The coordinate for the line of latitude is presented north of the equator because it is positive. If the number is negative, it represents south of the equator.
The line of longitude reads 2.17403 degrees East. The coordinate for the line of longitude represents east of the meridian because it is positive. If the number is negative, it represents west of the meridian.
Reading coordinates on Google Maps
Most GPS devices provide coordinates in degrees, minute and second (DMS) format, or most commonly Decimal Degrees (DD) format. Popular Google Maps provides its coordinates in both DMS and DD formats. 
The picture above shows the location of the Statue of Liberty on Google Maps. Its location coordinates are:
40°41'21.4"N 74°02'40.2"W (DMS)
It reads like:
"40 degrees, 41 minutes, 21.4 seconds north and 74 degrees, 2 minutes, 40.2 seconds east"
40.689263 -74.044505 (DD)
Just to recap, the decimal power (DD) of a coordinate does not have the letter N or S to denote coordinates latitude above or below the equator. It also does not have a W or an E to indicate longitude coordinates west or east of the Prime Meridian.
This is done by using positive and negative numbers. Since the latitude of the coordinates is positive, the coordinate is above the equator. Since longitude coordinates are negative, then the coordinate is west of the meridian.
Checking GPS coordinates
Google Maps is an excellent Internet tool for checking the coordinates of places of interest.
Finding coordinates for a specific location
1/ Open Google Maps at https://maps.google.com/ and find the location of your place of interest.
2/ Right click and select location " What is here?» From the small menu that appears.
3/ A small box will appear at the bottom with the name of the location and the coordinate in decimal degree format (DD).
Checking the coordinates of a specific place
Smartphones
Most smartphones, especially high-end phones, are GPS enabled and can be used as a navigation device if you have the right apps installed.
In order to find the desired object on a map, you need to know its geographical coordinates - latitude and longitude.
Remember how you found a point on the coordinate plane in math lessons? In the same way, you can find any point on the planet using the system of parallels and meridians, or, as it is also called, the degree network.
First, set the geographic latitude of the point. That is, determine how far it is from the equator. To do this, calculate the value of the meridian arc from the equator to this point in degrees. Geographic latitude can vary from 0° to 90°. All points in the Northern Hemisphere have a northern latitude (abbreviated north latitude), and in the southern hemisphere they have a southern latitude (abbreviated south latitude).
Determination of geographical coordinates
To determine the geographic latitude of any point on the globe and map, you need to find out on which parallel it is located. For example, if Moscow is located on the parallel between 50° and 60° N. latitude, then its latitude is approximately 56 ° N. sh. All points of the same parallel have the same latitude. In order to establish the geographical longitude of a point, you need to find out how far it is from the initial (zero) meridian. It is conducted through the old building of the Greenwich Observatory, built in 1675 near London. This meridian is chosen conditionally as the zero meridian. It's called Greenwich. The magnitude of the arc of the parallel from it to a given point is measured in the same way as the geographic latitude - in degrees. If you move from the zero meridian to the east, then the longitude will be east (abbreviated east), and if you move west, west (abbreviated west). The value of longitude can be from 0° to 180°. To determine the geographical longitude of any point means to establish the longitude of the meridian on which it is located. So, Moscow is located at 38 ° E. Yes
Measured from 0° to 90° either side of the equator. The geographical latitude of points lying in the northern hemisphere (northern latitude) is considered to be positive, the latitude of points in the southern hemisphere is negative. It is customary to speak of latitudes close to the poles as high, and about those close to the equator - as about low.
Due to the difference in the shape of the Earth from the ball, the geographical latitude of the points differs somewhat from their geocentric latitude, that is, from the angle between the direction to a given point from the center of the Earth and the plane of the equator.
Longitude
Longitude- the angle λ between the plane of the meridian passing through the given point, and the plane of the initial zero meridian, from which the longitude is counted. Longitudes from 0° to 180° east of the prime meridian are called east, to the west - west. Eastern longitudes are considered to be positive, western - negative.
Height
To fully determine the position of a point in three-dimensional space, a third coordinate is needed - height. The distance to the center of the planet is not used in geography: it is convenient only when describing very deep regions of the planet or, on the contrary, when calculating orbits in space.
Within the geographic envelope, the "height above sea level" is usually used, measured from the level of the "smoothed" surface - the geoid. Such a system of three coordinates turns out to be orthogonal, which simplifies a number of calculations. Altitude above sea level is also convenient in that it is related to atmospheric pressure.
The distance from the earth's surface (up or down) is often used to describe a location, however Not serves coordinate
Geographic coordinate system
The main drawback in the practical application of the HCS in navigation is the large values of the angular velocity of this system at high latitudes, which increase up to infinity at the pole. Therefore, instead of the HCS, a semi-free CS in azimuth is used.
Semi-free in azimuth coordinate system
The semi-free in azimuth SC differs from the HSC in only one equation, which has the form:
Accordingly, the system has the same initial position that the HCS and their orientation also coincide with the only difference that its axes and are deviated from the corresponding axes of the HCS by an angle for which the equation is valid
The conversion between the HCS and semi-free in the azimuth of the CS is carried out according to the formula
In reality, all calculations are carried out in this system, and then, to issue output information, the coordinates are transformed into the GCS.
Recording formats for geographic coordinates
The WGS84 system is used to record geographic coordinates.
Coordinates (latitude -90° to +90°, longitude -180° to +180°) can be written:
- in ° degrees as a decimal fraction (modern version)
- in ° degrees and "minutes with decimals
- in ° degrees, " minutes and " seconds with a decimal fraction (historical notation)
The decimal separator is always a dot. Positive signs of coordinates are represented by the (in most cases, omitted) sign "+", or by the letters: "N" - north latitude and "E" - east longitude. Negative signs of coordinates are represented either by a "-" sign or by the letters: "S" - southern latitude and "W" - western longitude. Letters can stand both in front and behind.
There are no uniform rules for recording coordinates.
By default, search engine maps show coordinates in degrees with a decimal fraction with "-" signs for negative longitude. On Google maps and Yandex maps, latitude first, then longitude (until October 2012, the reverse order was adopted on Yandex maps: first longitude, then latitude). These coordinates are visible, for example, when laying routes from arbitrary points. The search also recognizes other formats.
In navigators, by default, degrees and minutes are more often shown with a decimal fraction with a letter designation, for example, in Navitel, in iGO. You can enter coordinates in accordance with other formats. The degrees and minutes format is also recommended for maritime communications.
At the same time, the original way of writing with degrees, minutes and seconds is often used. Currently, coordinates can be written in one of many ways or duplicated in two main ways (with degrees and with degrees, minutes and seconds). As an example, the options for recording the coordinates of the sign "Zero kilometer of the roads of the Russian Federation" - 55.755831 , 37.617673 55°45′20.99″ N sh. 37°37′03.62″ E d. / 55.755831 , 37.617673 (G) (O) (I):
- 55.755831°, 37.617673° -- degrees
- N55.755831°, E37.617673° -- degrees (+ additional letters)
- 55°45.35"N, 37°37.06"E -- degrees and minutes (+ additional letters)
- 55°45"20.9916"N, 37°37"3.6228"E -- degrees, minutes and seconds (+ additional letters)
Links
- Geographic coordinates of all cities on Earth (English)
- Geographical coordinates of the settlements of the Earth (1) (eng.)
- Geographical coordinates of the settlements of the Earth (2) (eng.)
- Converting coordinates from degrees to degrees/minutes, to degrees/minutes/seconds and vice versa
- Converting coordinates from degrees to degrees/minutes/seconds and vice versa
see also
Notes
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .
See what "Geographic coordinates" are in other dictionaries:
See Coordinates. Mountain Encyclopedia. Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia. Edited by E. A. Kozlovsky. 1984 1991 ... Geological Encyclopedia
- (latitude and longitude), determine the position of a point on the earth's surface. Geographical latitude j is the angle between the plumb line at a given point and the plane of the equator, counted from 0 to 90 degrees on both sides of the equator. Geographic longitude l angle ... ... Modern Encyclopedia
Latitude and longitude determine the position of a point on the earth's surface. Geographic latitude? the angle between the plumb line at a given point and the plane of the equator, counted from 0 to 90. in both directions from the equator. Geographic longitude? angle between ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Angular values that determine the position of a point on the surface of the Earth: latitude - the angle between the plumb line at a given point and the plane of the earth's equator, measured from 0 to 90 ° (northern latitude north of the equator and southern latitude south); longitude ... ... Marine dictionary
Good day!
Almost every one of us has found ourselves in a situation where you wander into an unfamiliar part of the city and try to find the right address. Now, of course, technology has stepped forward and a regular smartphone allows you to navigate the terrain great...
However, far from everywhere and not everything is drawn on Google and Yandex maps. Not so long ago, I was in a new part of my city, and, as it turned out, some streets of this area are simply not shown on the map. How can you tell another person where you are and how to find you? 
Actually, this short note is devoted to coordinates and finding a specific point on the map using map services from Yandex and Google. So...
How to determine your coordinates and how to find an address by coordinates
I'll start with Google maps, the official site :
To accurately determine your coordinates - click on the "Location determination" button, usually a small window immediately pops up in the browser asking whether to allow access (select "Allow").
Important! By the way, in some cases, different services can show you in "different places". Therefore, double-check your coordinates on 2 maps at once.
If the street is long, and there are no house numbers (or, Google maps do not show houses in this territory at all) - then left-click on the point next to the one determined by Google - a small tab should pop up below, in which your coordinates!
Coordinates represent out of two numbers. For example, on the screen below, these are: 54.989192 and 73.319559
Knowing these numbers, you can transfer your location to anyone (even if he does not use Google maps, which is very convenient).
To find the desired point in Google by coordinates, just open the maps and enter these two numbers in the search box (upper left): after 1-2 seconds. a red flag will light up on the maps, indicating the desired point.
Note:
- coordinates must be specified through a dot, not a comma (correct: 54.989192 73.319559; incorrect: 54.989192 and 73.319559);
- indicate the coordinates in the order in which their map gives you: i.e. first latitude, then longitude (if you violate the order, you will get the wrong point at all, perhaps even 1000 km further than the desired one ...);
- coordinates can be specified in degrees and minutes (example: 51°54" 73°31").
Yandex maps
By and large, with Yandex-maps, the principle of operation is similar. It is worth noting that if one service does not determine the address, try using another one. Sometimes, if a street or district is not drawn in Google maps, then in Yandex, on the contrary, it is displayed quite fully, all streets are signed, and you can easily find out where to go and what to do.
Yandex Maps also has a special. a tool that allows you to find out your location online (on the right, click on the arrow in the white circle, see the screen below).
To determine the coordinates - just click on the necessary points on the map - a small window will pop up with addresses and two numbers - that's what they are.
You can insert both a specific address and coordinates into the search string (do not forget that they must be set correctly: do not confuse the sequence, specify through a dot, not a comma!).
Addition!
I have another article of a similar nature on my blog - about determining distances between cities, choosing the best road and estimating travel time. It will be useful to everyone who is going to go to another city, I recommend:
Additions are welcome...
