What is the approximate distance of town X from the equator, if it is located on latitude 140N?
Answer Details
Latitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the Earth's surface. The equator is an imaginary line that circles the Earth at 0° latitude, dividing the Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.
Therefore, if a town is located at latitude 14°N, it means that it is located 14 degrees north of the equator. To determine the distance of the town from the equator, we need to know how many kilometers correspond to one degree of latitude.
The Earth's circumference is approximately 40,000 kilometers, and it is divided into 360 degrees of longitude (east-west) and latitude (north-south). Therefore, the distance corresponding to one degree of latitude can be approximated by dividing the Earth's circumference by 360 degrees.
Distance per degree of latitude = 40,000 km / 360 = 111.11 km/degree
To find the distance of the town located at 14°N from the equator, we can simply multiply the distance per degree of latitude by the latitude of the town:
Distance from equator = 111.11 km/degree * 14 degrees = 1,555 km
Therefore, the answer is: 1555 km.