What is the term for a line that crosses successive meridians at a constant angle (also called loxodrome)?

• A. Loxodrome
• B. Rhumb Line
• C. Stereoscopic vision
• D. Series maps

Answer: (B)

A line that crosses successive meridians at a constant angle is a rhumb line, also called a loxodrome. This describes a path of constant bearing, meaning the angle between the line and every meridian stays the same as you move along it. That constant-angle property is what makes rhumb lines distinctive. On a Mercator map, rhumb lines plot as straight lines, which is why navigators often use them for courses with a fixed direction. This differs from a great circle, which is the shortest route on a sphere but does not maintain a constant angle with meridians except in special cases. The other options describe unrelated concepts, so they don’t fit the idea of a constant-angle meridian-crossing line.