Geography: latitude and distance

Self-tutoring about latitude as it applies to everyday life: the tutor mentions its comparison with actual distance.

The following is by my understanding.

Latitude doesn’t change much per degree: it’s always about 69 miles, or 111km.

I was looking at the latitude of the local airport, which is given as 49.95N. How far is that from the 50N parallel?

The answer is 0.05*111km or 5.55km.

So, given that the airport is south of what most people refer to as Campbell River, it makes sense that the 50N parallel runs through the city, yet the airport is at 49.95N.

Interesting, eh?

Source:

U.S. Geological Survey. “How much distance does a degree, minute, and second cover on your maps?” https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-much-distance-does-a-degree-minute-and-second-cover-your-maps

UnitConverters.net. (2026). “Convert miles to km.” https://www.unitconverters.net/length/miles-to-km.htm

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.