In the absence of compass abbreviations, a position of 103° would refer to?

The reasoning behind selecting a position of 103° as referring to a position along a line of Longitude relates to how geographic coordinates are expressed.

Longitude is measured in degrees, indicating a location's position east or west of the Prime Meridian, which is defined as 0° longitude. The value of 103° signifies a specific line of longitude that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole, passing through regions that are 103 degrees east of this established reference point.

In contrast, latitude indicates how far north or south a location is from the equator, measured in degrees from 0° at the equator up to 90° at the poles. Since the question refers explicitly to a position with only a degree measurement without a corresponding north or south designation for latitude or a directional label for longitude, it indicates a reference to longitude.

Thus, identifying 103° as a line of longitude provides clarification of its geographical significance in navigation and mapping.