UTM-Universal Transverse Mercator

What Is UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator)?

1. 60 Zones

   The world is divided into vertical slices, each spanning 6° of longitude:

   • Zone 1: 180° W – 174° W
   • …
   • Zone 31: 6° E – 12° E
   • …
   • Zone 60: 174° E – 180° E

2. Hemisphere (North/South)

   • In the northern hemisphere, northing values start at 0 m at the Equator.
   • In the southern hemisphere, a “false northing” of 10 000 000 m is added, so the Equator reads 10 000 000 m.

3. Easting and Northing

   • Easting is the X-coordinate: distance (in meters) east of the zone’s central meridian, which has a false easting of 500 000 m (west → smaller values, east → larger).
   • Northing is the Y-coordinate: distance (in meters) north of the Equator (or, in the south, north of the 10 000 000 m false northing).

4. Reading a UTM Map

   • Vertical grid lines at the map’s edges are labeled in meters east (mE).
   • Horizontal grid lines are labeled in meters north (mN).
   • You read both coordinates directly in meters.

Example UTM Coordinate

Suppose you have 5H 656508 5658755 (Zone 5, southern hemisphere):

• Zone: 05 (150° W – 144° W)
• Easting: 656 507.976 mE
• Northing: 5 658 755.036 mN