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Grade 5Latitude and Longitude

Latitude and Longitude Coordinates Worksheet

Grade 5 worksheet on reading and writing latitude and longitude coordinates, the equator, the prime meridian, and how hemispheres divide Earth.

15 questions · Matching · Multiple choice · True or false · Short answer · Application

This worksheet gives Grade 5 students practice reading and writing geographic coordinates using latitude and longitude. Students learn to identify the equator and the prime meridian, understand how these reference lines divide Earth into hemispheres, and interpret coordinates such as 30°N or 75°W. The activities progress from matching terms to their definitions, through multiple-choice and true-false questions, to short-answer prompts that ask students to explain and compare what they know. This sheet is well-suited as a class review, a homework assignment, or a formative check after a lesson on map skills. An answer key is included on a separate page for teacher and parent use.

Latitude and Longitude Coordinates Worksheet — Grade 5

Use what you have learned about latitude and longitude to complete each section. Read every question carefully before you write your answer.

Remember

  • Latitude lines run east and west; they measure degrees north (N) or south (S) of the equator at 0°.
  • Longitude lines run north and south; they measure degrees east (E) or west (W) of the prime meridian at 0°.
  • The equator divides Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres; the prime meridian divides it into Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Part A — Match each term to its definition

Draw a line to match each term on the left to its correct definition on the right.

Choose from

  • A. Half of the Earth, divided by the equator or prime meridian
  • B. The line at 0° that divides Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres
  • C. Lines that run north and south, measuring distance east or west of the prime meridian
  • D. The line at 0° that divides Earth into Eastern and Western Hemispheres
  • E. Lines that run east and west, measuring distance north or south of the equator
  1. 1.

    Equator

  2. 2.

    Prime Meridian

  3. 3.

    Latitude

  4. 4.

    Longitude

  5. 5.

    Hemisphere

Part B — Choose the best answer for each question

Circle the letter of the best answer for each question.

  1. 6.

    Which coordinate tells you how far north or south a place is from the equator?

    1. A.Longitude
    2. B.Latitude
    3. C.The prime meridian
    4. D.The International Date Line
  2. 7.

    A city at 30°S latitude is located in which hemisphere?

    1. A.Northern Hemisphere
    2. B.Eastern Hemisphere
    3. C.Western Hemisphere
    4. D.Southern Hemisphere
  3. 8.

    Which of these coordinates is closest to the equator?

    1. A.45°N
    2. B.10°S
    3. C.60°N
    4. D.35°S
  4. 9.

    The city of London, United Kingdom, lies very close to which important line?

    1. A.The equator
    2. B.The International Date Line
    3. C.The prime meridian
    4. D.The Tropic of Cancer
  5. 10.

    What is the maximum number of degrees a latitude coordinate can reach?

    1. A.180°
    2. B.90°
    3. C.45°
    4. D.360°

Part C — Decide if each statement is true or false

Write True or False on the line. If the statement is false, write the correction below it.

  1. 11.

    The equator is located at 0° latitude.

  2. 12.

    Lines of longitude run east and west around the globe.

  3. 13.

    The prime meridian divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Part D — Answer each question in one or two sentences

Write one or two complete sentences to answer each question on the lines provided.

  1. 14.

    A ship is at 0° latitude and 0° longitude. Explain what that location means and where on Earth it is.

  2. 15.

    Compare latitude lines and longitude lines. How do both work together to find any location on Earth?

Answer key

Part A — Match each term to its definition

  1. 1.The line at 0° that divides Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres
  2. 2.The line at 0° that divides Earth into Eastern and Western Hemispheres
  3. 3.Lines that run east and west, measuring distance north or south of the equator
  4. 4.Lines that run north and south, measuring distance east or west of the prime meridian
  5. 5.Half of the Earth, divided by the equator or prime meridian

Part B — Choose the best answer for each question

  1. 6.Latitude
  2. 7.Southern Hemisphere
  3. 8.10°S
  4. 9.The prime meridian
  5. 10.90°

Part C — Decide if each statement is true or false

  1. 11.True
  2. 12.False - lines of longitude run north and south around the globe.
  3. 13.False - the prime meridian divides Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Part D — Answer each question in one or two sentences

  1. 14.Example: This point is where the equator and the prime meridian cross each other. It is located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa, and it is the starting point from which all latitude and longitude measurements are made.
  2. 15.Example: Latitude lines run east and west and tell you how far north or south a place is from the equator. Longitude lines run north and south and tell you how far east or west a place is from the prime meridian. Together, one latitude coordinate and one longitude coordinate point to exactly one location on Earth.

What this sheet teaches

  • Identify the equator and prime meridian and explain what each line divides on Earth.
  • Match key geography terms such as latitude, longitude, and hemisphere to their definitions.
  • Write and interpret coordinates using degrees north, south, east, and west.

Notes for the adult

  • Students often confuse which lines run which direction; remind them that latitude lines are like ladder rungs — flat and horizontal.
  • When a student says the prime meridian divides north and south, trace a meridian on a globe from pole to pole to correct the error.
  • A student is ready to move on when they can write coordinates for a named city and identify the correct hemisphere it falls in.

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