longitude distance per degree
Degrees and Minutes The distance between degrees of longitude is about 60 nautical miles at the equator. It is less further north or south as the longitude lines converge towards the poles. Degrees of latitude are always 60 nautical miles apart.At the equator, a grid of 1Â° of longitude by 1Â° of latitude covers about 3,600 square miles.For greater precision, degrees are divided into 60 minutes (') - of distance, not time.y comparison, a statute mile is 5,280 feet or about 87% of a nautical mile and a kilometre is 54%. One minute of latitude equals one nautical mile and degrees of latitude are 60 nm apart. The distance between degrees of longitude isn't constant because they converge towards the poles.