Question 453Navigation General

The correct answer is B) latitude 45°. The value of sixty nautical miles per degree of geodetic latitude is most accurate at latitude 45°. This is because the Earth's surface is not a perfect sphere, but rather an oblate spheroid. As a result, the distance between lines of longitude (meridians) decreases as you move towards the poles, while the distance between lines of latitude (parallels) remains relatively constant. At latitude 45°, the distance between meridians is closest to 60 nautical miles per degree. The other options are incorrect because: A) the value is lower at the poles, C) the value is higher at the equator, and D) the value of 60 nautical miles per degree is only accurate at specific latitudes, not all latitudes.