Jan 05 2009
How Far is 1 Degree Latitude?
The first question that people ask us when they find out we’re training to traverse 10 Degrees Latitude is, “how far is 10 degrees latitude”?
Quick answer:
1 degree latitude = approximately 69 miles (111 kilometers) of north-south distance.
10 degrees latitude = approximately 690 miles (1110 kilometers).
Complete answer:
The distance varies (due to the earth’s slightly ellipsoid shape) from 68.7 miles at the equator to 69.4 at the poles. This is convenient since each minute (1/60th of a degree) is approximately one mile (source). Here is a neat graphic to show the variation in distance from the poles to the equater. As you can see the distance at the equater is shorter by 0.7 mile.
I would also like to know how you chose your routes…
We use a couple of factors when choosing our routes. First and foremost is the pinnacle event. Each 10 Degrees Latitude is built around one central event. For example, the European route is built around the English Channel swim. This swim in itself is a life-accomplishment for most endurance athletes. While it is difficult to find a single event of this magnitude on every continent we’ve planned our routes around a major cycling or swimming activity that is highly sought after by athletes in these individual sports.
The secondary consideration in our planning is the overall enjoyment of the participants. Elements such as challenging terrain, beautiful scenery, and favorable road conditions with close attention to minimizing traffic density are all taken into account. We think these add up to the most enjoyable ride for any athlete.