latitude is measured from where
Lines of latitude are measured in degrees north or south of the Equator, 0Â° latitude. In order to more easily understand how this angle is measured it is best to imagine that the Earth has been sliced in half along a great circle. The line connecting the North and South Poles is the Earth's axis of rotation. This is perpendicular, or at 90Â°, to the Equator. At the surface of the Earth, at a given latitude, draw a line from that location to the center of the Earth. The angle between this line and the Equator is the latitude measurement.