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On a world map, the 180th meridian divides the Eastern Hemisphere from the Western Hemisphere. The area it passes through is mostly water, but remote parts of Russia, Alaska, Fiji, and a few others pass near or through it.

Is there any country I can set foot on both hemispheres as a traveler if I wanted to? If so where can I visit to do so?

Kate Gregory
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    You can also stand with a foot in both hemispheres if you travel to the prime meridian. The Royal Observatory, Greenwich in London is a fun place to do it. –  Nov 16 '21 at 20:41
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    You can also set foot in both hemispheres at the 0 meridian. And I do so nearly every day, as I live in the West, but work in the East. And on Saturday my parkrun crosses from East to West four times. – James K Nov 16 '21 at 20:42
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    @JamesK always a pleasure to meet a fellow Greenwhich park runner – Jivan Nov 16 '21 at 21:58
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    Nice guess, but the wrong run! – James K Nov 16 '21 at 22:02
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    does the question not answer itself? You can do exactly what you ask in Russia, Alaska, and Fiji. Or is the question more about where is it practical to do so? – Tristan Nov 17 '21 at 10:58
  • Please, why are you not simply looking at that very world map on which the 180th meridian divides the Eastern from the Western Hemisphere? – Robbie Goodwin Nov 19 '21 at 22:32

3 Answers3

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Yes, on Taveuni Island, the third-largest island in Fiji, and a popular tourist destination.

The 180 meridian is crossed by a road. This image is from Google Earth

enter image description here

There is a nearby hotel called First Light Inn.

Weather Vane
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    And, according to the Wikipedia page about the 180th meridian, Fiji is the only place where roads cross the 180th meridian. – Abigail Nov 16 '21 at 12:22
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    Keep in mind that though it is the 180, it is not the date line. Also we found the wild parrots, lush vegetation and general Taveuni beauty were attractions in themselves. Take the coastal walk while you're there, eat a wild lime, etc. – Kate Gregory Nov 16 '21 at 13:52
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    @KateGregory good point - the sign and legend in the photo are misleading. As in Alsaka, the international date line detours from 180 longitude for political reasons. – Weather Vane Nov 16 '21 at 13:56
  • Google Maps https://goo.gl/maps/eKFg2xFKzZewxUnD7 – Bernhard Döbler Nov 16 '21 at 21:34
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    @KateGregory It is actually a commemorative board that was installed to mark where the Date Line actually crosses across Taveuni. cite (review of the place) – NotStanding with GoGotaHome Nov 17 '21 at 06:09
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    @WeatherVane There is no geographic reason why the international date line would need to be anywhere near the antimeridian. It just so happens that the antimeridian is among the least populated meridians on the planet, which is why the international date line is (relatively) nearby. However, this is just coincidental — there is no reason why one couldn't have the date line in the Atlantic Ocean or even through the middle of Europe or Asia. – gerrit Nov 17 '21 at 09:25
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    @VScode_fanboy the Date Line doesn't cross Taveuni. Please see this map. – Weather Vane Nov 17 '21 at 09:40
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    @gerrit territory and population are "geographic reasons". But looking up the Date Line I found this page: The International Meridian Conference (1884) and Afterwards says "Its exact course was never defined by any international treaty, law or agreement." and then "Due to the lack of any international guide lines for the location of the date line, 20th-century map makers have tended to follow the recommendations of the hydrographic departments of the British and the American Navy." – Weather Vane Nov 17 '21 at 10:28
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    @WeatherVane Hm, I can't do a thing as it was a google review. – NotStanding with GoGotaHome Nov 17 '21 at 10:33
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    I know it is a commemorative board. I have stood in front of it. But the Date Line does not go through Taveuni or any other populated place. That would make it different days in different houses. The 180 doesn't cross much land, but the date line crosses even less and tries to avoid separating islands in the same country. – Kate Gregory Nov 17 '21 at 12:09
  • @WeatherVane You're right, my formulation was unclear. I meant that it's not "naturally" at the antimeridian, which seems to be the impression some people have. – gerrit Nov 17 '21 at 14:34
  • @WeatherVane: Turns out it hinges on a legal thing "Does or does not Fiji as a nation have the authority to set its own time zones?" – Joshua Nov 17 '21 at 16:06
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    @Joshua: The answer is definitely yes. Every country has the sovereign right to decide its own time zones. For example, in Samoa in 2011, Friday, December 30 simply did not happen at all, because the government decided that the day after Thursday, December 29 would be Saturday, December 31. This had the effect of advancing their time zone by 24 hours, bringing it closer into line with Australia, and "moving" the Date Line to the other side of the country. – Kevin Nov 17 '21 at 16:59
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    @Joshua yes. And time zones need not make much sense: China has one time zone for the entire (4 TZ spanning) country. – Tim Nov 17 '21 at 20:57
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    @KateGregory I understand your point, but it's not especially unusual to be different days in different houses. That's exactly what happens around midnight in the US, given the multiple time zones. – Tim Nov 17 '21 at 20:58
  • @Tim: The Socratic method is a stunning success today. – Joshua Nov 17 '21 at 20:58
  • @Tim And most of Western Europe uses CET rather than GMT. I think it's equal parts wanting to be different from the UK (Portugal, being a long-time ally of the UK, does use GMT), and a desire to be on the same schedule as Central Europe. – chepner Nov 18 '21 at 13:53
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In Chukotka, far eastern Russia, there is a monument where the 180° meridian and the Arctic Circle meet, though getting there is apparently something of a trek; as the linked website states:

If the weather is fine, you can reach the meridian by car after about a 60-km ride along the Egvekinot — Valunisty gold mine road. There is a sign post by the road. However, this still is not the 180th meridian. To get to the intersection point, you will need to walk about 2 km more in the direction indicated by an arrow laid in stone.

There also appears to be a road, though it might be unpaved and/or accessible during only part of the year, running near the Arctic coast which crosses the 180° meridian a bit west of Mys Shmidta. Wikipedia references suggest that there is some information about this road in Petit Futé Chukotka if you can somehow track down a copy.

Chukotka is a very remote and harsh part of the world; a special permit from the Russian government is required to visit, and you probably want to engage the services of a qualified guide in order not to die from the cold weather and limited services.

mlc
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    The monument is pretty interesting. I encourage other readers to follow the link. It's not the simple block of stone or concrete that I expected. There are some (fairly trivial) inaccuracies in the accompanying text, however. – phoog Nov 18 '21 at 08:23
  • And the special permit to the border zone is necessary even for citizens of Russia. – Vladimir F Героям слава Nov 18 '21 at 19:42
  • @VladimirF: According to the Chukotka tourism page, "Previously, most of the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Area was in the border zone. Since 2018, the border zone has been limited only to Big Diomede island, Wrangel island, and the Herald Island. Citizens of Russia no longer need a special pass to enter the municipal district." – Michael Seifert Nov 18 '21 at 22:00
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Clearly Antarctica. Either stroll around it at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station (US), as many do, or take a skidoo from McMurdo or Scott Base (NZ) a little ways across the Ross Ice Shelf.

DFP
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    A quick estimate on Google Maps reveals that Ross Island, on which McMurdo and Scott bases are located, is about 200 miles (about 300 km) from the 180° line. Better pack a lunch. – Michael Seifert Nov 17 '21 at 12:50
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    Or the North Pole - during the winter it should be pretty well frozen there, so while you're not technically on land, you can still walk there. – Darrel Hoffman Nov 17 '21 at 15:09
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    You can also time travel into the future by walking counter-clockwise around the pole, or the past by walking clockwise! And HG Wells thought you had to invent a machine... pfftt! – FreeMan Nov 17 '21 at 17:26
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    @FreeMan You can also time travel into the future by lazying on your sofa. – gerrit Nov 17 '21 at 21:15
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    @FreeMan: There are two date lines: The fixed one, which is always close to the 180th meridian, and the moving one, which is adjacent to whichever set of timezones is currently closest to midnight. When you cross one date line, you add a day, and when you cross the other (in the same direction), you subtract it again, so going all the way around the Earth, there is no net change. However, neither date line is in effect in Antarctica, because Antarctica generally observes UTC regardless of longitude. – Kevin Nov 18 '21 at 23:12
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    Hey, @Kevin, who asked you to rain on my party with facts??!? Harumph! I'm taking my time travel machine and going home... – FreeMan Nov 18 '21 at 23:27