The Golden Rule: Latitude is always first.
When you see a pair of numbers like 40.7128, -74.0060, the first number is always the Latitude and the second number is always the Longitude.
- Latitude (First Number): Tells you how far North or South you are from the Equator.
- Longitude (Second Number): Tells you how far East or West you are from Greenwich, England.
What do the minus signs (-) mean?
Most modern apps like Google Maps use "Decimal Degrees" which rely on positive and negative numbers instead of writing out "North" or "West".
Latitude (1st Number)
- Positive (+): Northern Hemisphere (e.g., USA, Europe, Japan)
- Negative (-): Southern Hemisphere (e.g., Australia, Brazil)
Longitude (2nd Number)
- Positive (+): Eastern Hemisphere (e.g., Asia, Eastern Europe)
- Negative (-): Western Hemisphere (e.g., North and South America)
For example, -33.8688, 151.2093 means you are South of the Equator (negative first number) and East of England (positive second number). This is Sydney, Australia.
Used by Surveyors & Engineers
Always verify coordinates. Reversing Latitude and Longitude is the most common cause of lost shipments and construction errors.
Is Your GPS Telling the Truth?
Even if you read the coordinates correctly, your smartphone GPS can be inaccurate by up to 20 meters depending on buildings, weather, and datum settings.