How many degrees of latitude separate the North and South Poles?

The Earth is divided into 360 degrees of longitude and 180 degrees of latitude. Latitude lines are imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator. They are used to measure distances north and south of the equator, with the equator itself being at 0 degrees latitude. The North Pole is located at 90 degrees North latitude, and the South Pole is at 90 degrees South latitude. Since the latitude degrees are additive from the equator up to the poles, to find the total number of degrees of latitude separating the North and South Poles, you simply add the absolute values of their latitude coordinates:

90 degrees (North Pole) + 90 degrees (South Pole) = 180 degrees.

Therefore, there are 180 degrees of latitude separating the North and South Poles.

Latitude lines are also known as parallels because they are parallel to each other and to the equator. As you move away from the equator towards the poles, these lines get shorter in actual distance, but the degrees of latitude are consistent at approximately 69 miles (111 kilometers) apart. There’s a significant difference between the length of a degree of latitude and a degree of longitude; a degree of longitude varies in size as one moves towards the poles due to the curvature of the Earth, but a degree of latitude is roughly the same around the globe. The system of latitude and longitude allows any location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, which is very useful for navigation and geographical studies.