How are points located south of the equator valued?

Points located south of the equator are assigned negative values in the geographic coordinate system. This is a standard convention in geography, where latitude is measured in degrees north or south of the equator, which is at 0 degrees latitude.

Specifically, the numeric value for latitude increases negatively as you move from the equator to the South Pole, where it reaches -90 degrees. This clear distinction helps in accurately representing coordinates on a map. Thus, since all latitudes south of the equator have negative degrees, identifying them as negative aligns with cartographic conventions and is essential for proper geolocation.

Other options like zero, positive, or neutral do not apply here since zero refers to the equator itself, positive is used for locations north of the equator, and neutral lacks a defined value, which is incorrect in the context of representing geographic locations.