Latitude vs longitude worksheet - Free Printable

Let's solve this "Latitude or Longitude?" worksheet step by step.

We are given a list of descriptions on the right side, and we need to sort them into the correct columns: LATITUDE (pink) or LONGITUDE (blue). The goal is to match each description with the correct term based on what it describes.

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🔍 Key Concepts:

- Latitude:
- Lines that run horizontally (east-west), around the Earth.
- Measure distance north or south of the Equator.
- The Equator is at 0° latitude.
- These lines are called parallels (they are parallel to the Equator).

- Longitude:
- Lines that run vertically (north-south), from pole to pole.
- Measure distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.
- The Prime Meridian (at Greenwich) is at 0° longitude.
- These lines are called meridians.

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✔ Now let’s go through each box and assign it correctly.

#### 1. Lines that run north and south.
- This describes longitude lines.
- → LONGITUDE

#### 2. These lines are called parallels.
- Parallels = lines of latitude.
- → LATITUDE

#### 3. Lines extending around the Earth horizontally.
- Horizontal lines = latitude.
- → LATITUDE

#### 4. Measure distance east or west.
- East-west measurement = longitude.
- → LONGITUDE

#### 5. The Equator is at 0° degrees.
- Equator is the 0° line of latitude.
- → LATITUDE

#### 6. The Prime Meridian, in Greenwich, is at 0°.
- Prime Meridian = 0° longitude.
- → LONGITUDE

#### 7. Lines run east or west.
- This refers to longitude lines (they run from north to south, but their values increase east or west).
- → LONGITUDE

#### 8. These lines are called meridians.
- Meridians = longitude lines.
- → LONGITUDE

#### 9. The lines running vertically around the Earth.
- Vertical lines = longitude.
- → LONGITUDE

#### 10. Measure distance north or south.
- North-south measurement = latitude.
- → LATITUDE

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📊 Final Answer Table:

| LATITUDE | LONGITUDE |
|----------|-----------|
| These lines are called parallels. | Lines that run north and south. |
| Lines extending around the Earth horizontally. | Measure distance east or west. |
| The Equator is at 0° degrees. | The Prime Meridian, in Greenwich, is at 0°. |
| Measure distance north or south. | Lines run east or west. |
| | These lines are called meridians. |
| | The lines running vertically around the Earth. |

> Note: There are 5 rows in each column, so we place 5 items under each category.

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✔ Correct Placement:

LATITUDE (5 items):
1. These lines are called parallels.
2. Lines extending around the Earth horizontally.
3. The Equator is at 0° degrees.
4. Measure distance north or south.
5. (One more? Wait — we have only 5 total for each.)

Wait! Let's count again:

We have 10 statements. We must assign 5 to Latitude and 5 to Longitude.

Let’s double-check:

#### ✔ Latitude (5):
1. These lines are called parallels.
2. Lines extending around the Earth horizontally.
3. The Equator is at 0° degrees.
4. Measure distance north or south.
5. ??? — wait, we already have 4?

Wait — actually, there are 10 boxes listed on the right.

Let me list them clearly:

1. Lines that run north and south. → LONGITUDE
2. These lines are called parallels. → LATITUDE
3. Lines extending around the Earth horizontally. → LATITUDE
4. Measure distance east or west. → LONGITUDE
5. The Equator is at 0° degrees → LATITUDE
6. The Prime Meridian, in Greenwich, is at 0° → LONGITUDE
7. Lines run east or west. → LONGITUDE
8. These lines are called meridians. → LONGITUDE
9. The lines running vertically around the Earth. → LONGITUDE
10. Measure distance north or south. → LATITUDE

Now count:

- LATITUDE: #2, #3, #5, #10 → 4 items
- LONGITUDE: #1, #4, #6, #7, #8, #9 → 6 items

Wait! That’s 4 vs 6. But we have 5 rows per column.

Ah — perhaps I miscounted. Let's re-express the boxes clearly.

Looking at the image: There are 10 dashed boxes on the right.

Let’s number them as they appear:

1. Lines that run north and south. → LONGITUDE
2. These lines are called parallels. → LATITUDE
3. Lines extending around the Earth horizontally. → LATITUDE
4. Measure distance east or west. → LONGITUDE
5. The Equator is at 0° degrees → LATITUDE
6. The Prime Meridian, in Greenwich, is at 0° → LONGITUDE
7. Lines run east or west. → LONGITUDE
8. These lines are called meridians. → LONGITUDE
9. The lines running vertically around the Earth. → LONGITUDE
10. Measure distance north or south. → LATITUDE

So:
- LATITUDE: #2, #3, #5, #10 → 4
- LONGITUDE: #1, #4, #6, #7, #8, #9 → 6

But the table has 5 rows per column.

That means one of the boxes might be duplicated, or perhaps one statement is ambiguous.

Wait — look closely at #7: "Lines run east or west."

This is ambiguous because:
- Longitude lines run north-south, but they are measured east or west of the Prime Meridian.
- So the direction of the line is north-south, but the measurement is east/west.

So the phrase "Lines run east or west" is incorrect — lines don’t run east or west; they run north-south.

But in context, it likely means longitude lines measure east or west, so it belongs to longitude.

Similarly, #1: "Lines that run north and south" → longitude

So all seem correct.

But we have 6 for longitude and 4 for latitude.

Wait — let's check if any are duplicates.

No, all are unique.

But maybe the worksheet expects 5 in each.

Wait — perhaps I missed one.

Let’s recount the boxes:

There are 10 boxes, yes.

But perhaps one of the descriptions applies to both? Unlikely.

Wait — maybe "Lines run east or west" is meant to be latitude? No — latitude lines run east-west, so they do run east or west!

Ah! Here's the key mistake.

Let’s re-analyze:

🔁 Critical Re-evaluation:

- Latitude lines run east-west (horizontally).
- Longitude lines run north-south (vertically).

So:

- "Lines run east or west." → This describes latitude lines (they run east-west).
- But earlier I said it was longitude — that was wrong.

Let’s fix this.

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🔧 Correcting the Mistake:

#### Statement 7: "Lines run east or west."
- This means the lines themselves go in an east-west direction.
- That’s latitude lines.
- → LATITUDE

But wait — then "Lines that run north and south" → longitude

And "Lines extending around the Earth horizontally" → latitude

So now:

- "Lines run east or west" → LATITUDE (because latitude lines go east-west)

Yes! That makes sense.

So let's reassign:

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✔ Correct Assignments:

1. Lines that run north and south. → LONGITUDE
2. These lines are called parallels. → LATITUDE (parallels = latitude)
3. Lines extending around the Earth horizontally. → LATITUDE
4. Measure distance east or west. → LONGITUDE (longitude measures east/west)
5. The Equator is at 0° degrees → LATITUDE
6. The Prime Meridian, in Greenwich, is at 0° → LONGITUDE
7. Lines run east or west. → LATITUDE (the lines themselves run east-west)
8. These lines are called meridians. → LONGITUDE
9. The lines running vertically around the Earth. → LONGITUDE
10. Measure distance north or south. → LATITUDE

Now count:

- LATITUDE: #2, #3, #5, #7, #10 → 5 items
- LONGITUDE: #1, #4, #6, #8, #9 → 5 items

Perfect!

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✔ Final Answer:

| LATITUDE | LONGITUDE |
|----------|-----------|
| These lines are called parallels. | Lines that run north and south. |
| Lines extending around the Earth horizontally. | Measure distance east or west. |
| The Equator is at 0° degrees. | The Prime Meridian, in Greenwich, is at 0°. |
| Lines run east or west. | These lines are called meridians. |
| Measure distance north or south. | The lines running vertically around the Earth. |

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💡 Explanation:

- Latitude lines:
- Run east-west (horizontally).
- Are parallels.
- Include the Equator (0°).
- Measure north/south distance.

- Longitude lines:
- Run north-south (vertically).
- Are meridians.
- Include the Prime Meridian (0°).
- Measure east/west distance.

This sorting helps students understand the difference between the two systems used to locate places on Earth.

✔ Done!