What is the nautical distance equal to 6076 feet, or one minute of latitude?

• A. Nautical mile
• B. Statute mile
• C. Sea mile
• D. Cable length

Answer: (A)

One minute of latitude equals a nautical mile. The Earth is divided into 60 minutes of latitude per degree, and a nautical mile is defined as 1/60 of a degree along a meridian. That makes one minute of latitude correspond to about 6076 feet (1852 meters). This is why sailors use nautical miles for distance at sea—the unit directly ties to the way latitude and longitude are measured.

The other options don’t fit: a statute mile is 5280 feet and is a land unit; a cable length is about a tenth of a nautical mile, not one minute of latitude; a “sea mile” isn’t a standard navigation unit.