# Hemisphere **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 1999, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921 "1999-05-16T23:34:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/21 "2000-02-08T03:30:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **\beatle\** : > **That does help one avoid putting parts of England in two different Hemispheres, although it still wacks a bit of Africa in two – I suspect there is a bit of cultural influence. Funny, as well, because it seems to carry less import that a country might be in both the Northern & Southern Hemispheres.** Sorry to dig so deep in the archives, but _how_ does it wack a bit of Africa in two? Are we talking about small islands? \---------------- rocks\ ---
**Author:** ![Melatonin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@Melatonin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melatonin)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/22 "2000-02-08T04:02:00Z")
Well, Mr. Mentock. . . I don’t really have the answer to your question but I had to pop in here and congratulate you on confusing the hell out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/23 "2000-02-08T04:19:00Z")
RM Mentock has a point. Senegal, the western most part of Africa is still a couple of degrees east of 20W. I hope you don’t go digging up any of my long forgotten errors. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/24 "2000-02-08T04:45:00Z")
Yes, kids, what you put up on the 'net just might live forever (and just yesterday I considered responding to a march post with a bit more accurate info and thought,…nah). RM, I think I probably flipped east and west in my mind when I responded to that post of Bob’s (it took this board 9 months to catch it!?!). Yeah, the line proposed in that post puts all of England and Africa (islands? - I don’t know) well within the Eastern Hemisphere. That being said, (oh heck, I’m going to have to go reread this thread before I comment)… OK, Cold War era considerations undoubtedly color the perceptions of many, myself included. The Soviet Union (remember them?) was definitely ‘east’ although portions of it are both east and west of the unquestionably ‘west’ Japan. > [@](#): > > Unlike the northern and southern hemispheres, whose boundary is the quantifiable equator, the eastern and western hemispheres are cleaved by a cultural divide. Ahhh, what a wordsmith! Anybody get his name? The line proposed in BobT’s post is a geometrical line and I think does not really address the cultural divisions of “East” v. “West” in the sense most people consider such. Does anybody know from whence it dates? It may have been a viable distinction at one time; we have seen earlier in this thread mention of the New World v. the Old World, cleavages that took not into account a large part of the earth as we know it now. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/25 "2000-02-08T13:28:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by omniscientnot: > **Northern, southern, eastern and wersternmost States in the U.S.? Alaska, Florida, Alaska and Alaska respectively. But you knew that…** Wait a second? Alaska is easternmost? Maybe I’m missing something here, but people from Lubec, Maine would have a bone to pick with you on that one! Lubec is home of West Quoddy Point lighthouse, the easternmost point of the US. (FYI: East Quoddy Point is in New Brunswick.) This is known as the point where daylight first touches US soil. Therefore, based on the earth’s rotation, I fail to understand how Alaska can claim to be the easternmost? ---
**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/26 "2000-02-08T14:09:00Z")
> [@](#): > > This is known as the point where daylight first touches US soil. Actually this distinction is claimed by Guam. I think their motto is something like “Where America starts her day”. I think “Alaska as the easternmost state” is probably true if any of the Aleutian Islands are west of the International dateline. (sorry, I don’t have a map handy.). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/27 "2000-02-08T14:16:00Z")
I don’t have a globe handy, but I’m pretty sure the Aleutians extend beyond the 180° meridian. That would make Alaska the eastern-most point in the U.S. On the other hand, I think the International Date Line “zigs” up there, so if you’re defining east and west along political lines instead of geographic lines, then the above assumption is wrong. Incidentally, if we were to divide Alaska into two equal-area states, Texas would be the THIRD largest state! FWIW: Reno, Nevada is farther west than Los Angeles, California. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/28 "2000-02-08T14:28:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Ursa Major: > \*\* Actually this distinction is claimed by Guam. I think their motto is something like “Where America starts her day”.\*\* I’ll grant you that, but I think Maine’s boastful claim refers to the 50 states. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/29 "2000-02-08T14:46:00Z")
_ **Ursa Major:** Actually this distinction is claimed by Guam. I think their motto is something like “Where America starts her day”. I think “Alaska as the easternmost state” is probably true if any of the Aleutian Islands are west of the International dateline. (sorry, I don’t have a map handy.)._ Some of the Aleutian islands are in the Eastern Hemisphere, i.e., west of the 180[sup]o[/sup] meridian. _This is **not** the International Date Line._ By its definition, the IDL is west of all the Aleutian islands. It zig-zags to keep all of them in the same date. Similarly, some of Russia is in the Western Hemisphere, but completely east of the IDL, which goes east to include this tip of Siberia. ## The IDL also jags east so that the Chatham Islands, territory of New Zealand, have the same date as NZ. Wrong thinking is punished, right thinking is just as swiftly rewarded. You’ll find it an effective combination. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/30 "2000-02-08T14:48:00Z")
\Dang, didn’t mean to make that all bold :rolleyes:\ ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/31 "2000-02-08T15:18:00Z")
We’re making this way too complicated. The line between Eastern and Western hemispheres dates back to battles between Spain and Portugal to colonize the New World. It has to do with spheres of influence, not longitude. In the Pacific Ocean, follow the International Dateline. That will do for most purposes. In the Atlantic ocean, draw a zig-zag between Greenland and Iceland. Iceland is historically considered to be tied more to Europe; Greenland to North America. Then, continue the line south making sure the Azores and Cape Verde are in the Eastern Hemisphere. The map I’m using isn’t very detailed, but I believe you zig zag one last time to put the Falklands in the Western Hemisphere, and South Georgia Island in the Eastern. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/32 "2000-02-08T17:57:00Z")
After re-reading the OP, I’m kind of confused as to what is being asked. At first it looks like Melatonin is asking for the mathematical definition (_“The orbit of the earth and the path of the sun have conveniently provided us with a division between North and South”_), but then seems to ask for the political definition (_“but I’ve just looked at several maps and couldn’t find a cartographic boundary that jibes in any way with my idea of what is East and What is West.”_). The mathematical division between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the equator, doesn’t necessarily jibe with what is North and what is South politically. A good 15-20% of South America is in the Northern Hemisphere. And Africa is mostly in the Northern, but I usually think of it as a Southern continent. Of course, on a purely mathematical note, it’s simple to tell what hemisphere you’re in, as stated above. * * * Wrong thinking is punished, right thinking is just as swiftly rewarded. You’ll find it an effective combination. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921/33 "2000-02-08T20:18:00Z")
If I understand the OP, it is dealing not with political or historical type boundaries and distinctions, but with physical ones. The Earth spins about it’s poles. The equator relates to the line equidistant from the poles. This gives the good geographic distinction for North vs. South. There is no corresponding line for East/West division, because of the inherent nature of the spin. Any boundary is thus arbitrary. _My_ personal devisor for East vs Western hemispheres are the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Americas are West, Eurasia, Africa, Australia are all East. In know, that is not halving, but it works for me. If those lines aren’t exactly straight, well it’s like time zone lines - make them work. Don’t worry about the odd island or two. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemisphere/6921.md?page=1)