# Confusing east and west **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 7, 2026, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confusing-east-and-west/1031478 "2026-07-07T04:15:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 10
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confusing-east-and-west/1031478/10 "2026-07-07T10:57:31Z")
That was an interesting discussion for sure. It wasn’t helped by an ambiguous title that a mod later improved. > [@What is the furthest north, south, east and west you've ever been? (By Longitude please.)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-furthest-north-south-east-and-west-youve-ever-been-by-longitude-please/1028653): > > We do this from time to time here on the ‘Dope, and it’s a slow day at work, so… Furthest North: London, England, UK 51°30’26” North. I’m not prepared to say what specific spot in London was the furthest north, so I just went with London generically. Furthest South: Some rainforest within half an hour’s drive on San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA 18°24’23” North. That’s the latitude Google gives me for San Juan generally and not the specific place where I went ziplining. Furthest East: Tokyo, Japan 1… Here’s another thread that was spawned off the first one: > [@Where do East & West start and end, anyway? (Prime Meridian, antimeridian, and the International Date Line)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-east-west-start-and-end-anyway-prime-meridian-antimeridian-and-the-international-date-line/1028690): > > Continuing the discussion from [What is the furthest north, south, east and west you've ever been? (By Longitude please.)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-furthest-north-south-east-and-west-youve-ever-been-by-longitude-please/1028653/120): An interesting side discussion (well, to me anyway) there was about where exactly “East” and “West” are in reference to. A few examples: If you’re 30’ west of it, you’re at 179.5 east. If you’re 30’ east of it, you’re at 179.5 west. It divides east and west. Is this a frequent source of contention? Do people think that the standard conventions aren’t ideal? And by con… Between the two threads there’s nearly 250 posts of anecdote and opinion. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confusing-east-and-west/1031478)._