Question

What is the importance of the international date line?

Answer 1

Hint: The International Date Line, which was created in 1884, runs through the middle of the Pacific Ocean and roughly follows a 180-degree north-south line on the globe. It's exactly halfway around the world from the prime meridian, which was established in Greenwich, England, in 1852.

Complete answer:
If we circumnavigate the globe, our clocks will differ by 24 hours, resulting in a difference of one day in both locations. The trip from east to west will take one day less, whereas the trip from west to east will take one day longer. To overcome this challenge, various governments have agreed on a worldwide date range based on the 180° longitude line.

The importance of international date line can be estimated from the following points:
- This line eliminates the one-day time discrepancy that occurs when circumnavigating the earth and then spinning around the world.
- The determination of the day in the world becomes easier due to the assumption of daybreak (dawn) in accordance with this line.
- Time is reduced by one day while travelling from east to west across the international date line. One day grows as one travels from west to east.
- If the international date line is not identified, then the same date cannot be located across the world.

Note: Until it reaches the equator, the International Date Line stays on the 180° meridian. The latest time on Earth (UTC12:00 hours) is on two US-owned uninhabited atolls, Howland Island and Baker Island, located slightly north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean (and ships at sea between 172.5°W and 180°).