Coordinates Converter

Geographic coordinates measure positions on the Earth's surface using angular measurements relative to the equator and the prime meridian. To convert a Decimal Degree (DD) to Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds (DMS), you isolate the integer portion of the degree as your degree value. Next, take the fractional remainder and multiply it by 60 to find the minutes. Taking the remaining fraction of those minutes and multiplying it by 60 gives you the seconds. Conversely, to convert DMS back to decimal degrees, you divide the seconds by 3,600, divide the minutes by 60, and add both values to the absolute degree value, applying a negative sign if the coordinate is in the Southern or Western hemisphere.

Let's convert a latitude of 34.05223 degrees decimal into Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds (DMS) format. First, take the whole number as our degrees: Latitude Degrees = 34 degrees. Next, take the fractional part (0.05223) and multiply it by 60 to find the minutes: 0.05223 x 60 = 3.1338 minutes. The whole number gives us our minutes value: Latitude Minutes = 3 minutes. Finally, take the remaining fractional minutes (0.1338) and multiply it by 60 to find the seconds: 0.1338 x 60 = 8.028 seconds, which rounds to 8.03 seconds. Thus, 34.05223 degrees converts to 34 degrees, 3 minutes, and 8.03 seconds (34° 03' 08.03" N).

Always pay close attention to hemisphere indicators (N, S, E, W) or positive and negative signs, as mixing them up can place you on the opposite side of the globe. When entering coordinates into mapping software, verify whether the platform requires latitude first or longitude first. Finally, keep sufficient decimal places when converting between formats; dropping decimal digits can introduce positional errors of several meters.