WTN- A degree is a fraction of a circle and there are 360 degrees in each of the imaginary circles that describe the surface of the earth.

The number 360 in this context usually is attributed to the Babylonians, who desised a base 60 number system ( Modern system is base 10) . They were first to divide the circle into 360 degrees ( 6 x 60).

Some historian think that the base-60 system derives from the approximate length in days of a calendar year, but others claim that Babylonians probably chose 60 because it is divisible by so many other numbers. Hipparchus, who invited formal system of latitude and longitude, divided each earth circle into 360 degrees, each degree having 60 minutes and each minute having 60 seconds.

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