How many kilometres are represented by 1° of latitude ?

Latitude is the angular distance of a place north or south of the equator, measured from the Earth's center [1]. Because the Earth is not a perfect sphere but an oblate spheroid (slightly flattened at the poles), the linear distance of one degree of latitude varies slightly. It measures approximately 110.57 km at the equator and increases to about 111.7 km at the poles [1]. However, for general geographical calculations and standard reference, the average distance represented by 1° of latitude is taken as 111 km (roughly 69 miles) [3]. Unlike longitude, where the distance between degrees decreases significantly toward the poles, the distance between parallels of latitude remains relatively constant everywhere on the globe. This consistency makes latitude a reliable metric for calculating north-south distances, where 1° equals approximately 111 km.

Sources

1. [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 18: Latitudes and Longitudes > 18.1. Latitude or Parallel > p. 240
2. [3] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 1: India — Location > INDIA – LOCATION > p. 2