When the lines of latitude and longitude are placed on a map, a coordinate grid is formed. As a result, a location on the map can be presented as degrees of latitude and longitude, or coordinates.

The latitude, or distance from the equator, is always presented first. The longitude, or distance from the Greenwich meridian, is always presented second. 


A map of the world. The coordinates of Istanbul are 40 degrees north (latitude; 40° N) and 30 degrees east (longitude; 30° E), whereas the coordinates of Helsinki are 60°N 24°W, those of Philadelphia are 40°N 75°W, and those of Belo Horizonte are 20°S 44°W.​