Latitude measures north or south of the equator in which units?

• A. Degrees
• B. Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds
• C. Radians
• D. Minutes

Answer: (B)

Latitude is an angular measure of how far north or south you are from the equator, and it is typically expressed in degrees with subdivisions for precision. The standard format uses degrees, minutes, and seconds of arc (there are 60 minutes in a degree and 60 seconds in a minute), so you’ll often see something like 34° 7' 12" N. This combination provides both the primary unit (degrees) and the finer detail (minutes and seconds) needed for exact positioning. Radians aren’t the common way to write latitude for navigation, and using only minutes would omit the degrees, making the location ambiguous. Therefore, degrees, minutes, and seconds best describe latitude in practice.