How to Convert Decimal Coordinates to Minutes

Sometimes it's necessary to convert decimal coordinates to minutes.

Typically, when you encounter coordinates on a GPS device or map, they come in the form of 40° 39' 11" N. In this case, 40 represents degrees, 39 represents minutes, 11 represents seconds and N represents North. Sometimes, however, coordinates are expressed in a decimal format, such as 41.878928 or -41.878928. In such instances, it may be necessary to convert the decimal coordinates into a specific standard, such as minutes.

Instructions

1. Determine the decimal coordinate's direction. A positive latitude coordinate indicates North. A negative latitude coordinate indicates South. A positive longitude coordinate means East. A negative longitude coordinate means West.

2. Separate the degrees from the minutes by removing the whole number from the coordinate. For example, given a North latitude coordinate 30.92593°, you would separate it into 30 degrees and .92593.

3. Convert the degrees into minutes by multiplying the degrees by 60. Continuing to use the example from Step 2, multiply 30 by 60 to get 1800'.

4. Multiply the remaining decimal value from Step 2 to obtain its minute value. Example: Multiply .92593 by 60 for an answer of 55.5558'.

5. Separate the minutes from the seconds by removing the whole number from the coordinate.

   Example: Separate 55.5558' into 55' minutes and .5558.

6. Add the minutes from Step 3 and Step 5 together to obtain the total number of minutes. Example: 1800' + 55' = 1855'.

7. Include the direction to obtain your final answer. Example: Given that the direction is North and the total number of minutes is 1855, the final answer would be 1855' N.

References

• National Atlas: Latitude and Longitude
• The City University of New York - Brooklyn College; Converting Units ; How to Convert Decimal Latitudes and Longitudes to Degrees, Minutes and Seconds; David J. Leveson; 2000