Latitude and longitude are also angles measured from the center of the earth ( at least in the approximation that the earth is a sphere ).
This figure shows a point at 40 N and 80 W. In this picture, which is almost correct ( good to 0.3 % ) the latitude is the angle the line from the center of the earth to the point makes with the equator.
The point is traced down the meridian to the equator and the angle in
the equatorial plane of this "projected point" and the prime meridian
is the longitude.
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|