Latitude is the measure of how far north or south a location is from the equator. Latitude is measure in degrees. Each half of the earth or hemisphere is 180 degrees. Dividing that number in half, locations are between 0 and 90 degrees north or south of the equator. The equator is at 0 degrees latitude and is stretches the diameter of the earth. Latitude lines are imaginary lines that are marked every twenty degrees north and south of the equator.