Whats longitude?

Question

why are lines of latitude parallel but lines of longitude not?

Answer 1

Latitudes are imaginary, parallel lines to the Equator.They never meet each other as they are parallel and they are running in east-west direction.But longitudes are imaginary lines connecting the north pole and south pole and lying at equal distance from each other at a particular latitude.All the longitudes meet at the north pole and south pole and hence they are not parallel.You may be knowing that if many lines meet at one point ,they can not be parallel.Is it not?So longitudes are not parallel lines where as latitudes are actually parallel.

Answer 2

You may be asking why the lines delineating time zones are not parallel. These lines (including the international date line) are not the same as measures of longitude. Many time zones follow certain countries, states and chains of islands, meaning they do not all follow the same pattern.

More info and we may be able to help more.

Answer 3

your question is ambiguous .. one measures around the Earth (East West- Longitude) and one measures over the Earth (north South - Latitude)

and they do run parallel to themselves

try these sites for a more fulsome answer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latitude