How Does Latitude Affect Temperature?
Latitude measures how close a place is to the equator; because the equator receives the most sun and has the highest temperatures, a places’ latitude can indicate the climate. The further a location on earth is from the equator, the colder the temperatures will be.
The equator is an imaginary line that horizontally divides the earth in half. Regions near the equator receive the most sun because of the shape of the Earth. The further away a place is from the equator, the more indirect the sunlight is because the shape of the Earth angling away from the sunlight’s direct path. The light also has to penetrate through less of the atmosphere to reach Earth’s surface. The more direct sunlight is, the warmer the climate will be from the heat of the sun. That is why temperatures at the equator are considerable high compared to the rest of the world. In fact, the further a place is from the equator, the colder the temperatures get. When the sunlight strikes the Earth at farther angles, the rays are traveling a longer distance through the atmosphere. That is why temperatures at the North and South Poles are among the coldest places on the surface of the Earth.
