Final answer:
Latitude measures how far north or south a location is from the equator, ranging from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The measure of how far north or south a place is from the equator is known as latitude. Latitude is the number of degrees of arc a location is away from the equator along its meridian. This measurement ranges from 0° at the equator to 90° N at the North Pole and 90° S at the South Pole.
For instance, if you were at the Naval Observatory which has a latitude of 38.921° N, you would be 38.921 degrees north of the equator. Understanding latitude is crucial for navigation and geography, as it plays a significant role in Earth's grid system which also includes lines of longitude, marking locations east or west of the Prime Meridian.