PDF chapter test TRY NOW
Greenwich Meridian
- The Royal Astronomical Observatory is situated at Greenwich near London in England.
- At the International Meridian Conference held in \(1884\) in Washington DC in the U.S.A, all the nations unanimously agreed on choosing the Greenwich Meridian as the international standard meridian \((0°).\)
- This \(0°\) line of longitude is called the Prime Meridian.
- It is also called as the Greenwich Meridian as it passes through Greenwich.
![shutterstock_1505651105.jpg](https://resources.cdn.yaclass.in/de789f57-3d86-4848-bd72-b906e98680a6/shutterstock_1505651105-w400.jpg)
International Date Line
- The \(180°\)line of longitude has been established as the International Date Line.
- It is drawn on the Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Russia through Bering Strait.
Important!
On crossing, this line;
From the West to East - You lose a day
From the East to West - You Gain a day
From the West to East - You lose a day
From the East to West - You Gain a day
- Based on this, the date is fixed for different countries or regions of the world.
- This is not a straight line.
- Incase, if the line is drawn straight, two places in the same country will have different dates.
- In order to avoid this confusion, the International Date Line is found zigzag in few places.