noun
- the angular distance of a place east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees
Usage: geography; navigation
Examples
- The longitude of New York City is approximately 74 degrees west.
- GPS devices use both latitude and longitude to pinpoint exact locations.
- Ships navigate by calculating their longitude and latitude coordinates.
- The prime meridian at Greenwich represents zero degrees longitude.
- Each degree of longitude equals about 69 miles at the equator.
- Early sailors struggled to determine longitude accurately at sea.