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Quizzes > Geography

Latitude and Longitude Test: Practice Map Coordinates

Quick, free latitude and longitude quiz. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Chickn DoodlsUpdated Aug 27, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art style world map with latitude longitude grid and compass on dark blue background for quiz

Use this quiz to practice reading and plotting map coordinates with latitude and longitude. Answer quick questions to spot hemispheres, estimate positions, and choose the right degrees. When you finish, build skills with latitude and longitude practice, test big-picture knowledge in a world map quiz, or explore cartography basics with a types of maps quiz.

What does latitude measure?
Distance from the North Pole
Distance north and south of the Equator
Distance east and west of the Prime Meridian
Height above sea level
Latitude is the angular distance of a point north or south of the Equator. It is measured in degrees from 0° at the Equator up to 90° at the poles. Lines of latitude, or parallels, run east - west around the globe. For more details, see .
What does longitude measure?
Distance from the South Pole
Distance north and south of the Equator
Distance east and west of the Prime Meridian
Elevation above mean sea level
Longitude is the angular distance of a point east or west of the Prime Meridian, which is defined as 0° longitude. It ranges from 0° to 180° east and west. Lines of longitude, or meridians, converge at the poles. Further explanation is available at .
At what latitude is the Equator located?
90°N
0°
23.5°N
66.5°S
The Equator is defined as the 0° line of latitude that divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It is the longest circle of latitude on the globe. All latitudes are measured in degrees north or south from this line. Learn more at .
At what longitude is the Prime Meridian located?
180°
0°
23.5°W
90°E
The Prime Meridian is defined as 0° longitude and runs through Greenwich, England. It divides the Earth into Eastern and Western Hemispheres. All longitudes are measured in degrees east or west from this line. More details can be found at .
What is the latitude of the North Pole?
66.5°N
90°S
90°N
0°
The North Pole is the point at 90° north latitude where all meridians converge. It is the northernmost point on Earth. By definition, latitude values range from 0° at the Equator to 90° at the poles. See for more information.
Which line divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?
Prime Meridian
Tropic of Cancer
Arctic Circle
Equator
The Equator, at 0° latitude, divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It is equidistant from the poles and circles the globe at its widest point. Hemispheres are defined relative to this line of latitude. More can be read at .
Which line divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres?
International Date Line
Prime Meridian
Tropic of Capricorn
Equator
The Prime Meridian at 0° longitude divides the Earth into Eastern and Western Hemispheres. It passes through Greenwich, England, by international agreement. The International Date Line at roughly 180° longitude also separates the hemispheres but is primarily used for timekeeping. Read more at .
The point at 0° latitude and 0° longitude is located in which body of water?
Atlantic Ocean
Gulf of Guinea
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
Zero degrees latitude and zero degrees longitude, often called Null Island, lies in the Gulf of Guinea in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. Although no actual land exists there, it's a notable coordinate point. For more information, visit .
The Tropic of Capricorn lies at which latitude?
23.5°S
0°
66.5°S
23.5°N
The Tropic of Capricorn is one of the five major circles of latitude and is located at approximately 23.5° south of the Equator. It marks the southernmost latitude where the Sun can appear directly overhead. The position corresponds to the tilt of Earth's axis. Further details are at .
Convert 45°30' N into decimal degrees.
45.25°N
46°N
45.03°N
45.5°N
To convert minutes to decimal form, divide by 60. Here, 30 minutes equals 0.5 degrees, so 45°30' converts to 45.5°N. This is a standard geographic coordinate conversion. Find more examples at .
Approximately how many kilometers is one degree of latitude?
85 km
127 km
111 km
100 km
One degree of latitude is roughly equal to 111 kilometers (69 miles) anywhere on Earth because parallels are equally spaced. This value is based on the Earth's circumference of about 40,075 km. Small deviations occur due to Earth's ellipsoidal shape. More details at .
Which meridian serves as the basis for Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)?
90°E
Prime Meridian
180°
International Date Line
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is established at the Prime Meridian, which is defined as 0° longitude in Greenwich, England. Time zones around the world are offset by whole hours from UTC. The International Date Line is near 180° longitude but is not used for time baseline. See .
What is the name of the 180° longitude line that roughly marks the date boundary?
Equator
Tropic of Cancer
International Date Line
Prime Meridian
The International Date Line follows roughly the 180° meridian and serves as the line where the calendar date advances by one day. It zigzags to avoid dividing countries. It is opposite the Prime Meridian at 0° longitude. Learn more at .
Which city is closest to the coordinates 0° latitude, 0° longitude?
Accra, Ghana
Dakar, Senegal
Lagos, Nigeria
Monrovia, Liberia
The point at (0°, 0°) lies in the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Guinea. The nearest major city to this point is Accra in Ghana, located just north of the Equator and near the Prime Meridian. The other cities listed are farther away in terms of great-circle distance. More at .
Which of these cities lies closest to the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N)?
Cairo, Egypt
Havana, Cuba
New Delhi, India
Miami, USA
The Tropic of Cancer is at 23.5°N. Havana, Cuba, is approximately at 23.1°N, making it the closest among these options. Miami is farther north around 25.8°N, Cairo is near 30°N, and New Delhi is about 28.6°N. Read more at .
How many minutes are there in one degree of latitude?
90
120
60
100
Degrees of latitude and longitude are subdivided into 60 minutes. Each minute is further subdivided into 60 seconds. This sexagesimal system dates back to ancient Babylonians and is still used in geographic coordinates. Learn more at .
Calculate the time difference between a location at 30°E and one at 15°W.
3 hours
2 hours
4 hours
1 hour
The Earth rotates 360° in 24 hours, so each 15° of longitude represents one hour of time difference. From 15°W to 0° is one hour ahead, and from 0° to 30°E is two more hours, totaling three hours difference. This principle underlies global time zones. See .
A point located 1000 km north of the Equator is at approximately which latitude?
9°N
8°N
10°N
15°N
One degree of latitude is approximately 111 km. Dividing 1000 km by 111 km per degree gives about 9° of latitude north of the Equator. This linear approximation holds true because parallels are equally spaced. For more, visit .
What is the approximate distance between the points (0°,0°) and (0°,90°E) along the Earth's surface?
5,000 km
20,000 km
1,000 km
10,000 km
The distance between two points on the Equator separated by 90° of longitude is one-quarter of Earth's circumference. With Earth's circumference around 40,075 km, a quarter equals approximately 10,018 km, often rounded to 10,000 km. This uses the concept of great circles. See .
Which map projection preserves angles and shapes over small areas making rhumb lines appear as straight lines?
Gnomonic projection
Equal-area projection
Robinson projection
Mercator projection
The Mercator projection is a conformal map projection that preserves angles and shapes over small areas, which makes rhumb lines (lines of constant compass bearing) straight lines. It distorts size, especially near the poles. It is widely used for navigation for this property. More details at .
How many Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) zones divide the world?
12
24
60
30
The UTM system divides the world into 60 longitudinal zones, each 6° wide, numbered 1 to 60 eastward from the 180° meridian. This provides a consistent metric grid for mapping. The zones ensure minimal distortion within each. Learn more at .
Why does the distance represented by one degree of longitude decrease as you move toward the poles?
The Earth's curvature flattens at the poles
Latitude lines shrink near the poles
Longitude measurements become arbitrary at the poles
Meridians converge at the poles
Meridians of longitude are lines that run from pole to pole, so they come closer together as they approach the poles, reducing the distance represented by one degree of longitude. At the Equator, meridians are farthest apart. This convergence is due to the Earth's spherical shape. More information at .
A great circle on Earth is defined as a circle that:
Is any circle parallel to the Equator
Runs through both the Prime and the International Date Line
Is the shortest distance from the Equator to a pole
Divides the Earth into two equal halves
A great circle is a circle on a sphere that has the same center and radius as the sphere, thus dividing it into two equal hemispheres. It represents the shortest path between two points on the surface. Examples include the Equator and meridians paired with their opposite meridians. See .
Which formula is commonly used to calculate great-circle distances on a spherical Earth using latitude and longitude?
Gaussian elimination
Haversine formula
Pythagorean theorem
Vincenty's formula
The Haversine formula provides the great-circle distance between two points on a sphere given their longitudes and latitudes. It accounts for the spherical shape of Earth. Vincenty's formula is used for more accuracy on an ellipsoid, and Gaussian elimination is a linear algebra method unrelated to geodesy. For more details, see .
What is a rhumb line in navigation?
The shortest path between two points on a sphere
A line that crosses all meridians at the same angle
A circle of latitude
A line that connects the North and South Poles
A rhumb line or loxodrome is a path on the Earth's surface that crosses all meridians at the same bearing, making it a straight line on a Mercator projection. It is not the shortest path between two points but is easier to navigate with a constant compass heading. More at .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Latitude and Longitude Lines -

    By completing the longitude and latitude quiz, you will be able to distinguish meridians and parallels and explain their roles in the earth's coordinate system.

  2. Interpret Map Coordinates -

    You will learn to read and translate latitude and longitude values into precise geographic positions on a map.

  3. Apply Coordinate Reading Skills -

    Practice using degrees, minutes, and seconds to accurately locate points and sharpen your map-coordinates quiz performance.

  4. Differentiate Meridians and Parallels -

    Understand the defining characteristics of north - south versus east - west lines and how they structure global navigation.

  5. Analyze Real-World Examples -

    Evaluate real geographic data to determine if coordinates are correctly represented and interpret their real-world significance.

  6. Evaluate Mastery Strategies -

    Reflect on your quiz results to identify areas for improvement and develop effective techniques for acing latitude and longitude questions.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Latitude Fundamentals -

    Lines of latitude run east - west and measure north - south position from the equator (0°) up to 90° N/S. These parallel circles help in any geography coordinates quiz by marking climatic zones, as noted by NASA's Earth Observatory. Remember: "Lat is flat" to recall they're horizontal lines.

  2. Longitude Essentials -

    Meridians of longitude run from pole to pole and measure east - west position relative to the prime meridian (0°) up to ±180°. The International Date Line near 180° explains date changes, as outlined by the USGS. A handy trick: "Longitude lists long trips" to remember they run vertically.

  3. Converting DMS to Decimal Degrees -

    Degrees - Minutes - Seconds (DMS) converts to decimal degrees with the formula: ° + (′/60) + (″/3600). For example, 45° 30′ 00″ becomes 45.5°, widely used by GIS platforms like ESRI's ArcGIS. Keep this conversion handy for any quiz on longitude and latitude calculations.

  4. Using the Haversine Formula -

    The haversine formula (a = sin²(Δφ/2) + cos φ₝·cos φ₂·sin²(Δλ/2)) calculates great-circle distances between two points on Earth's surface. After computing a, distance = 2r·atan2(√a, √(1−a)), where r ≈ 6371 km, as described in geodesy texts. This formula is critical for map coordinates quiz questions on real-world distances.

  5. Remembering Coordinate Order -

    Always list latitude before longitude (lat, long) when reading or entering coordinates in mapping tools, as recommended by the National Geographic Society. Use the mnemonic "Latitude Ladder: up and down first" to reinforce order. Correct order ensures accuracy in any longitude and latitude quiz.

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