Where is the dateline on the world map

It demarcates two consecutive calendar days, resulting in the Eastern side of the line ahead by one day and the Western side behind by a day. It is the consequence of the worldwide use of timekeeping systems so that the local noon at respective nations corresponds approximately to the time at which the sun crosses the local meridian of longitude.

It roughly follows the degree meridian with some deviating east and west at certain places. This is done in order to accommodate the political and economic affiliations of the affected areas. The IDL, is not a matter of international law and lacks a regulatory body but is embraced globally.

This is crucial for global interconnectivity, communication, time management, and carrying out worldwide economic activities. The prime reason for choosing the degree meridian as the IDL, is due to its crossing through open oceans in the central pacific, with little deviations to keep the nations on the same day and date. The location of IDL was determined on both land and adjacent territorial waters as well as open seas. All nations have the freedom to decide their Standard Time Zones , applicable only to their land and territorial waters.

This is also called the de facto line since it is based on national laws and does not fall under the jurisdiction of international laws. Whereas the de jure line is the Nautical Date Line, which is constructed by an international agreement. It differs from the International Date Line. It recommends all ships, both military and civilian to adopt hourly Standard Time Zones in the high seas. It follows the degree meridian unless interrupted by the territorial waters, in which case, they are expected to adapt to the standard time of the country.

It is not straight but curves around landmasses and national borders. For example, Kiribati and Hawaii are on different sides of the date line. If you traveled from Kiribati's capital Tarawa to Hawaii's state capital Honolulu , you would have to turn the clock back 22 hours , effectively traveling back in time, at least on the calendar. Depending on which time zone the country follows, the time difference on either side of the line is not always 24 hours. Close-up of world map from my office showing the International Date Line in red.

Samoa and American Samoa are just to the right of the line, New Zealand is in the bottom left corner, and Hawaii is at the top. The first thing to note is that the International Date Line is not set by international law or any treaty. When you cross the IDL, the day and date change. Yes Indeed, theoretically. There are 24 time zones with a difference of 1 hour each. There are 2 date lines.

The international date line is a rotating date line and there is a fixed date line where each rotating part of the earth experiences midnight midnight meridian. The prime meridian separates the eastern hemisphere from the western hemisphere. Halfway around the world, at degrees longitude, is the International Date Line.