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RAS question

Latitude and Longitude — the Equator is at:

Correct answer: (B) 0° latitude.

The Equator is the 0° latitude line that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

  1. (A)

    90° latitude

  2. (B)

    0° latitude

  3. (C)

    0° longitude

  4. (D)

    180° longitude

Explanation

The Equator is not a longitude line; it is the reference line for latitude. NOAA's NESDIS explains that the Equator is an imaginary line around Earth's middle and that it divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Lines parallel to the Equator are lines of latitude, numbered from 0° to 90°, and the line at 0° is the Equator itself. That is why 0° latitude is the only correct option. The common trap is 0° longitude: that is the Prime Meridian, a different reference line used for longitude.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) 90° latitude cannot be the Equator because NOAA's NESDIS identifies the 0° latitude line as the Equator itself.
  • (C) 0° longitude refers to the Prime Meridian, whereas the Equator is defined by latitude.
  • (D) 180° longitude is a longitude value, but the question asks for the latitude of the Equator, which is 0°.

Concept

This tests the basic latitude-longitude grid, especially the distinction between the Equator and the Prime Meridian. RAS repeats this concept because map-reading and physical geography questions often depend on identifying reference lines correctly.

Source

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