Latitude DMS
18° 31' 13.548" N
Latitude ends with N or S because it describes position relative to the Equator.
DMS stands for Degrees, Minutes, Seconds. It is a traditional way of writing latitude and longitude using degrees (°), minutes ('), seconds (") and a direction such as N, S, E or W.
Read the degrees first, then minutes, then seconds, followed by the direction.
Consider this latitude:
The coordinate begins at 18 whole degrees.
The location is another 31 arc-minutes beyond the 18th degree.
Seconds provide additional precision within the minute.
N means the latitude is north of the Equator.
Latitude ends with N or S because it describes position relative to the Equator.
Longitude ends with E or W because it describes position relative to the Prime Meridian.
DMS and Decimal Degrees can represent the same location.
18° 31' 13.548" N
18 + (31 ÷ 60) + (13.548 ÷ 3600)
Approximately 18.520430
Use the FindLatLong converter to convert coordinates between Decimal Degrees and Degrees, Minutes, Seconds.
DMS minutes must be between 0 and 59.
Seconds must be less than 60.
Latitude uses N/S while longitude uses E/W.
Keep each coordinate in one consistent format.
Explore related guides covering latitude, longitude and the geographic coordinate system.
Convert DMS coordinates or explore their location visually on the world map.