Should Britain Remain at Center of World Maps?

Should Britain remain at the center of world maps? A number of historic, cultural, and economic factors may have accompanied this convention but can the world map be centered on some other country? THE 0° ZERO MERIDIAN Till the early 19th century most nations followed their WHY WAS THE own clocks and the world lacked a standardized time. GREENWICH MERIDIAN The meridian passing through Greenwich near London was chosen to In POPULAR? 1884 be the Prime Meridian or The British Empire the Zero Meridian. By covered about a fourth of 1938 the land and controlled This meant that Britain over 500 million subjects. and Europe would feature at the center of the world maps. The economic influence wielded by England is the most significant among the influencing factors. 24 France continued to map the Paris Meridian as the Prime Meridian When it came to choosing the Prime Meridian, it is no surprise then, that the Greenwich Meridian was chosen. for a long time. Over 70% of the earth's surface is covered by water. CHALLENGES Only about 30% is landmass Cartographers believe that by plotting Europe and Africa to the middle, the undivided landmasses are perfectly visible on the world map. World maps centered on China and India, present a larger view of the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. A map with USA in the center is likely to divide the Eurasia landmass. WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES? With China and India high on the population index it is perhaps wise to center the world map on these countries. The world map could be centered on the United States, given the country's influence in world politics and economy. The topic is certainly worth international deliberation. The International Date Line is the Thematic maps which reflect imaginary line roughly along the 180 degree meridian which separates two calendar days. education standards and socio-cultural may also be affected by such a change. For more infographics, in-depth review and latest poll topics. Visit www.frydaypoll.com The Universal Time and the Interna- tional Date Line calculation is all likely to be affected if a new Prime Meridian is chosen. IS IT TIME TO CHANGE?