Who invented the date line

To avoid any confusion of date, this line is drawn through where the sea lies and not land. Hence, the IDL is drawn in a zig-zag manner. The prime meridian separates the eastern hemisphere from the western hemisphere.

However, no attempts were made during this conference to specify the exact course of the date line when it happened to cross land or pass through island groups. Its exact course was never defined by any international treaty, law or agreement.

At the end of the 19th century, George Davidson , the pioneer scientist and surveyor of the American West Coast, summed up the situation as:.

Depending on which time zone the country follows, the time difference on either side of the line is not always 24 hours. For example, if you travel the km mi across the date line from Baker Island to Tokelau , you must add 25 hours, or 1 day and 1 hour. Every day between and UTC , three different calendar dates are in use simultaneously on Earth.

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Social studies Where does the international date line cross the equator? Social studies. Ben Davis April 17, Where does the international date line cross the equator?

Which two continents does the international date line run between? Where is the dateline in the Pacific Ocean? What happens when you cross the international date line? Which American city is closest to the international date line? Which country is closest to the date line?

Can you walk across the international date line?