While watching news, you hear about a place, of which you had never heard earlier. You want to know more about the place and you want to locate it on the map. Which of the following is/are required for you to be able to locate the place on the map?

To locate any specific place on the Earth's surface, both latitude and longitude are required. Latitude and longitude together constitute the two coordinates of a place, forming a geographic grid system [2]. Latitude represents the angular distance north or south of the equator, while longitude represents the angular distance east or west of the Prime Meridian. The intersection of these two imaginary lines pin-points a precise location on the map. While altitude provides the elevation above sea level, it is not a requirement for horizontal positioning on a standard map. Every point on Earth can be uniquely identified and located using this coordinate system, as seen in examples like New Delhi (28° N, 77° E) or London (51° 30'N, 0° 5'W) [2]. Therefore, both coordinates are essential for map navigation and location identification.

Sources

1. [1] Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 1: Locating Places on the Earth > DON'T MISS OUT > p. 16
2. [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 18: Latitudes and Longitudes > 18. Latitudes and Longitudes > p. 240