Consider the following statements : 1. Distance between the longitudes becomes zero on North Pole and South Pole. 2. Distance between the longitudes is maximum on the Equator. 3. Number of longitudes is more than number of latitudes. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Correct — D, all three statements are correct. Meridians of longitude converge to a point at the two poles (so the distance between them is zero there) and are farthest apart at the Equator; and there are 360 longitudes but 181 latitudes (0–90 N and 0–90 S plus the Equator), so longitudes outnumber latitudes.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  1 only — Incomplete — statements 2 and 3 are also correct.
• (b)
  2 only — Incomplete — statements 1 and 3 are also correct.
• (c)
  1 and 3 only — Incomplete — statement 2 (maximum spacing at the Equator) is also correct.

Longitudes (meridians) are semicircles running pole to pole; they are equally spaced around the Equator (maximum separation) and meet at the poles (zero separation). There are 360 meridians (0 to 180 E and W). Latitudes are full circles parallel to the Equator; counting 0–90 in each hemisphere gives 181 parallels. Hence all three statements hold.

Key facts

• Meridians of longitude converge to a point at the poles.
• Longitudes are farthest apart at the Equator.
• There are 360 longitudes and 181 latitudes.
• Latitudes are parallel circles; longitudes are pole-to-pole semicircles.

Common traps

• Thinking longitudes stay parallel (they converge at the poles).
• Miscounting latitudes/longitudes.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The distance between two meridians of longitude is greatest at the

  • (a)North Pole
  • (b)South Pole
  • (c)Equator
  • (d)Tropic of Cancer
  Answer(c) Equator.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  How many meridians of longitude are there in all?

  • (a)180
  • (b)181
  • (c)360
  • (d)90
  Answer(c) 360.