Latitude and longitude show position in degrees for precise aviation and nautical navigation

Latitude and longitude are the two big names in navigation. They’re the coordinates that tell you exactly where you are on the planet. And here’s the neat part: those coordinates are expressed in degrees. That single idea—degrees—lets us pin down locations with impressive precision, whether you’re plotting a flight path, charting a coast, or just figuring out where you are on a map for fun.

What the question is really asking

When the test asks, “The coordinates of latitude and longitude are used to express what?” the answer isn’t about distance, time, or height. It’s about position. Latitudes and longitudes are a grid that maps a spot on the Earth’s surface, not how far away something is, nor what time it is there, nor how high above sea level you sit. The correct choice is C: Position in degrees.

Let me explain how that works in plain terms

• Latitude is like a set of horizontal lines? Think of the Earth wrapped in a global sash. Latitude measures how far north or south you are from the Equator. It runs from 0° at the Equator up to 90° at the poles. North is typically written as a positive value (or with a “N” label), and south carries a “S.”

• Longitude is the vertical dimension. It tracks how far east or west you are from the Prime Meridian, which runs through Greenwich, England. Longitudes span from 0° to 180° east or west. East is usually marked with an “E,” west with a “W.”

Put those together and you have a precise location. You don’t get a distance figure or a time stamp from the degrees themselves. Instead you get a point on the globe—the exact spot you’re talking about.

A quick mental model you can carry with you

Picture a globe like a giant, perfectly round orange. If you slice that orange into a grid—imagine lines running from top to bottom and lines running around its middle—you land on a coordinate system. The lines that run around the middle (east to west) set your latitude; the lines that cut from pole to pole (north to south) set your longitude. The intersection of a latitude line and a longitude line gives you the precise point.

If you want a concrete example, consider a familiar city. Paris sits around 48.8566° N latitude and 2.3522° E longitude. Those numbers tell you exactly where Paris sits on the map, not how far away it is from something else, not what time it is there.

Diving a little deeper: why degrees, and what about the pieces like minutes and seconds?

• Degrees are the basic unit, but not the only way to express the coordinates. Each degree can be subdivided into minutes and seconds. One degree equals 60 minutes, and one minute equals 60 seconds. So you might see coordinates written as 33° 55' 30" N, 118° 14' 45" W, for example. For everyday navigation and many aviation and maritime tools, decimal degrees are common—things like 33.925° N, -118.245° W. That negative sign is just a shorthand for west of the Prime Meridian.

• In real-world systems like GPS and charts, those degrees link to a reference model of the Earth (the World Geodetic System, or WGS84, is a widely used standard). The model keeps everyone in sync, so a coordinate pair means the same place whether you’re looking at a chart in a cockpit, a marine plotter, or a phone map app.

Why the other options don’t fit

• Distance in nautical miles (A): Nautical miles measure how far apart two points are, not where a single point sits on the globe. You might use lat/long to calculate a distance later, but the coordinates themselves are about position, not distance.

• Time in UTC (B): UTC is a time standard. It’s essential for coordinating air traffic, flight plans, and navigation; but it’s a separate dimension from geographic position. Latitude and longitude don’t encode time.

• Altitude in feet (D): Altitude is a vertical measurement, how high you are above a reference point (often sea level). Lat/long tell you where you are on the surface, not how high you are above it.

Why this matters in aviation and maritime contexts

Navigation is built on a simple rule: know where you are, then decide where you’re going. Latitude and longitude give you that “where.” In the cockpit, charts, and flight management systems, the coordinates act as the anchor for routes, waypoints, and airways. On the water, ships use the same principle to read nautical charts and avoid hazards. The uniform language of degrees keeps pilots and mariners on the same page, even if they’re speaking a different native language or using different hardware.

A few practical notes that make the topic click

• Degrees come in two flavors: decimal degrees and degrees-minutes-seconds (DMS). Decimal degrees are quick for computers and many modern devices; DMS is common in older charts and some human-readable references. It’s handy to know both, because different sources will present coordinates in one form or the other.

• Positive and negative signs aren’t random. Latitude north is typically positive, latitude south negative; longitude east positive, longitude west negative. In many aviation and nautical displays, you’ll also see N/S and E/W labels instead of signs.

• You don’t have to memorize every value. The key is understanding that the coordinate pair pinpoints a place, and the numbers you see are degrees that locate that place on the globe. If a map shows 0° at the Equator and 0° at the Prime Meridian, you’re seeing the same anatomy of a coordinate system you’d use anywhere else on Earth.

A little history that makes the system feel tangible

People have wrestled with “where are you on Earth?” for centuries. Early navigators used stars, coastlines, and rough estimates. Then came more precise maps and grids. The concept of latitude is ancient, but longitude needed sharper tools—precision clocks and standardized reference lines. The Prime Meridian in Greenwich became the global zero point, a shared baseline that lets everyone translate a location into degrees. Since then, navigation, aviation, and shipping have ridden on this shared frame, with GPS and digital charts doing the heavy lifting in real time.

Tiny reminders to sharpen your instinct

• If you hear someone say “that point is at 40.7128° N, 74.0060° W,” your internal map should light up: New York City, a precise spot on the globe. The numbers tell you the north-south position (latitude) and the east-west position (longitude), not a distance to travel or a time to meet.

• If you’re ever unsure whether a set of numbers is latitude and longitude, remember they come in pairs: one for north-south (latitude) and one for east-west (longitude). The first number sits near the top of the chart, the second across the middle.

A practical little checklist for reading coordinates

• Check the signs or the N/S and E/W indicators.

• Note whether the format is decimal degrees or DMS.

• If you’re converting, keep the math simple: 1 degree equals 60 minutes, 1 minute equals 60 seconds.

• Compare to a known reference point, like the Equator (0° latitude) or the Prime Meridian (0° longitude), to orient yourself quickly.

Final takeaway that sticks

Latitude and longitude are the universe’s way of saying “you’re here.” The unit we use—degrees—provides a precise, repeatable way to describe any spot on Earth. It’s a simple concept with big, practical consequences: it powers maps, guides aircraft, steers ships, and keeps explorers on the same page no matter where they are.

If you’re ever cracking questions about coordinates, keep this in mind: the coordinates tell you where you are in degrees, not how far away you are, what time it is, or how high you stand. That clarity is what makes latitude and longitude such a reliable compass for navigation—and a reliable anchor for any discussion about ANIT-related topics.