The International Date Line is a line in
the mid-Pacific Ocean near 180° longitude
.
Where is the dateline?
The International Date Line is located
halfway around the world from the prime meridian (0° longitude)
or about 180° east (or west) of Greenwich, London, UK, the reference point of time zones. It is also known as the line of demarcation.
Why is the dateline in the Pacific?
There are many groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean. These groups belong to states which do not want some islands on one side of the date line, and the rest on the other. They have therefore decided to move the date line, so
that all islands are in the same time zone
.
What is the line that runs through the Pacific Ocean?
The date line, also called the International Date Line
, is a boundary from which each calendar day starts. Areas to the west of the date line are one calendar day ahead of areas to the east. The date line runs from the North Pole to the South Pole through the Pacific Ocean.
Where does the equator and International Date Line meet?
The IDL remains on the 180° meridian until passing the equator. Two US-owned uninhabited atolls,
Howland Island and Baker Island
, just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean (and ships at sea between 172.5°W and 180°), have the latest time on Earth (UTC−12:00 hours).
Where in the world does the day start?
Each day on Earth begins at midnight in
Greenwich, England
, where the prime meridian is located. Originally, the prime meridian's purpose was to help ships at sea find their longitude and determine accurately their position on the globe.
Where does time start in the world?
All time zones are measured from a starting point centered at
England's Greenwich Observatory
. This point is known as the Greenwich Meridian or the Prime Meridian. Time at the Greenwich Meridian is known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Universal Time.
Where is 180 degrees longitude?
The meridian that runs through Greenwich, England, is internationally accepted as the line of 0 degrees longitude, or prime meridian.
The antimeridian
is halfway around the world, at 180 degrees. It is the basis for the International Date Line.
Which side of the International Date Line is Hawaii?
Close-up of world map (from my office) showing the International Date Line in red. Samoa (and American Samoa) are just to the right of the line, New Zealand is in the bottom left corner, and
Hawaii is at the top
. The first thing to note is that the International Date Line is not set by international law or any treaty.
Where is International Date Line in Globe?
The International Date Line, established in 1884, passes through the mid-Pacific Ocean and roughly follows a 180 degrees longitude north-south line on the Earth. It is located
halfway round the world from the prime meridian
—the zero degrees longitude established in Greenwich, England, in 1852.
Who invented the International Date Line?
How the IDL began. The IDL was established in 1884 during the International Meridian Conference held in Washington, D.C., according to Post Card History.
President Chester A. Arthur
convened the conference, which included representatives of 26 nations.
Does Alaska cross International Date Line?
The easternmost point in the US is technically a point in Alaska's Aleutian Islands, since it lies
just west of the International Date Line
.
Why is the International Date Line curved?
It goes zig-zag. In order to avoid the confusion of having different dates in the same country, the International Date Line bends and
goes zig zag at the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska, Fiji, Tonga and in some other islands
.
What is 0 lat 0 long called?
Null Island
is the name used to refer to the point on the Earth's surface where the Prime Meridian and the Equator intersect, at zero degrees latitude and zero degrees longitude ( 0°N 0°E).
What American city is closest to the International Date Line?
Last updated Dec 29 2016. Answer has 6 votes.
Gisborne, North Island New Zealand
is the closest city to the International Dateline, and so you sees the sunrise before any other city in the world.
Is Prime Meridian same as International Date Line?
The prime meridian separates the eastern hemisphere from the western hemisphere.
Halfway around the world, at 180 degrees longitude, is the International Date Line
. The prime meridian is the line of 0 longitude, the starting point for measuring distance both east and west around the Earth.
