Geographers indicate the absolute location of any place on Earth using the latitude and longitude coordinate system.

Quick Scoop

  • Absolute location = exact position on the globe.
  • It is written as a pair of numbers: (latitude, longitude) , usually in degrees.
  • Example: Zürich, Switzerland is at about 47° N latitude and 8° E longitude (values approximate).

Mini breakdown

  1. Latitude
    • Tells how far north or south a place is from the Equator.
    • Measured in degrees (0° at the Equator up to 90° at the poles).
  2. Longitude
    • Tells how far east or west a place is from the Prime Meridian (the line through Greenwich, England).
    • Also measured in degrees (0° at the Prime Meridian up to 180°).

Put together, latitude and longitude give a unique, precise point on Earth’s surface, which is what geographers call the absolute location.

So if your test or worksheet asks, ā€œWhat do geographers use to indicate the absolute location of any place on Earth?ā€ the answer is:
They use latitude and longitude (geographic coordinates).

TL;DR: Geographers use the latitude–longitude coordinate system to show the absolute location of any place on Earth.