Glossary for Geospatial Science

degree or °:  A unit of measurement equal to 1/360 of a circle.  A degree of latitude on the earth’s surface is about 69 miles.  A degree of longitude is about 69 miles at the equator and undefined at the poles, but any point on the surface rotates through a degree of longitude in about 4 minutes of time.  (See also: arcsecond, minute.)