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There are 360 degrees of latitude and the latitude line of 0 degrees is known as the Prime Meridian and it divides the world into the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere (-180 degrees degrees of longitude west and 180 degrees of longitude east).
Degrees of latitude are parallel so the distance between each degree remains almost constant. Each degree of latitude is approximately 69 miles (111 kilometers) apart. The distance varies (due to the earth's slightly ellipsoid shape) from 68.703 miles (110.567 km) at the equator to 69.407 (111.699 km) at the poles. This is convenient because each minute of latitude (1/60th of a degree) is approximately one mile.