the equator

[cucuhullan]

Does anyone know how many nautical miles one degree of latitude represents at the equator.

[Dustybun]

60 nautical miles - I think! :o)

[sddsddean]

According to which source you go to, the earths equatorial circumference is about 24,900 miles. Divide this by 360 and you get 69.166666 miles/degree.

[Dustybun]

I'm sorry if I was being oversimplistic - I worked on the basis that a nautical mile is 1 minute of arc therefore 1 degree, having sixty minutes, equals 60 nautical miles :o)

[cucuhullan]

My thanks to you both.
I am going assume that 69.166666 miles is equivalent to 60 nautical miles and therefore I will be able to sleep tonight.!!!

[Phil7]

I think the answer they want is 60nm. But sddsddean is going around the equator rather than pole to pole. Dustybun is right, the n.mile was defined as 1 min. or arc (latitude-wise) and is taken as the average value (1852m) - distance at the bulging equator will actually be slightly greater.

Oops, you caught me in an ex-RN mood / mode!

[cucuhullan]

Thank you Phil7 for your contribution to my ever expanding fount of knowledge.

[sddsddean]

Sorry, I missed the 'nautical' in your question. 69.166666statute miles = 60.0657nm. If you are not going to worry about the odd 400 feet difference between this and 60nm, I'm certainly not!

[cucuhullan]

sddsddean,
Thanks for your clarification.
The only time I would worry about 400 feet is if it brought an obnoxious neighbour any closer.!!!!

[sddsddean]

lol!