Question

The value of each latitude is followed by which of the following?

Answer 1

Hint: The definitions of latitude and longitude use two levels of abstraction. The geoid, a surface that approximates the mean sea level across the seas and its continuation beneath the landmasses, is used to simulate the physical surface in the first phase. The second step is to use a mathematically simpler reference surface to approximate the geoid. A sphere is the most straightforward reference surface, while an ellipsoid models the geoid more precisely. The next sections go through the definitions of latitude and longitude on such reference surfaces. On the reference surface, a graticule is formed by lines of constant latitude and longitude.

Complete answer:
A geographic coordinate that describes the north-south position of a place on the Earth's surface is known as latitude. The term "latitude" refers to an angle that spans from 0° at the Equator to 90° (North or South) at the poles. Parallels, or lines of constant latitude, travel east-west as circles parallel to the equator. The terms latitude and longitude are used to describe the precise position of features on the Earth's surface.

The term latitude should be understood to refer to the geodetic latitude as described below. The angle produced by the vector perpendicular (or normal) to the ellipsoidal surface from that location and the equatorial plane is known as geodetic latitude. Six auxiliary latitudes are also defined, which are utilised in particular situations. Each latitude value is followed by the words north, south, N, or S. North latitudes are all parallels to the north of the equator. Similarly, south latitudes refer to any parallels to the south of the equator. The latitude of Delhi, for example, is around${28^o}N$.

Note: The precise latitude of a feature on the surface is not unique because there are many different reference ellipsoids; this is emphasised in the ISO standard, which states that "without the full specification of the coordinate reference system, coordinates (that is, latitude and longitude) are ambiguous at best and meaningless at worst." This is critical in precise applications like the Global Positioning System (GPS), but in everyday use, where high precision isn't necessary, the reference ellipsoid is rarely specified.