Latitude is the angular distance of any point on Earth measured north or south of the equator in degrees, minutes and seconds.The equator is a line going around Earth and is halfway between the North and South Poles, it is GIVEN a latitude of 0°. Values increase north of the equator and are considered positive and values south of the equator decrease and are sometimes considered NEGATIVE or have south attached to them. For example, if a latitude of 30°N was given, this would mean that it was north of the equator. The latitude -30° or 30°S is a location south of the equator. On a map, these are the lines running HORIZONTALLY from east-west.Latitude lines are also sometimes called parallels because they are parallel and equidistant from each other. Each degree of latitude is about 69 miles (111 km) apart. The degree measure of latitude is the name of the angle from the equator while the parallel names the actual line along which degree points are measured. For example, 45°N latitude is the angle of latitude between the equator and the 45th parallel (it is also halfway between the equator and the North Pole). The 45th parallel is the line along which all latitudinal values are 45°. The line is also parallel to the 46th and 44th parallels.Like the equator, parallels are also considered circles of latitude or lines that circle the entire Earth. Since the equator divides the Earth into two EQUAL halves and its center coincides with that of the Earth, it is the only line of latitude that is a GREAT circle while all other parallels are small circles.