Ship crossing international date line #merchantnavy #shorts #subscribers #IDL

The IDL is an imaginary line that roughly follows the 180° line of longitude and passes through the Pacific Ocean. However, this line is not straight and strays from the 180° meridian at certain points. In some places, it appears as zig-zag, deviating to the meridian’s east or west. The deviations enable places of the same economic and political affiliations to share the same date or time. Otherwise, if the IDL were a straight line, it would divide certain landmasses into two parts with two different dates on the same day.

From the North Pole, the IDL first bends to the east to pass near the Chukchi Peninsula (Russia) and Wrangel Island’s east, then proceeds through the Bering Strait before bending towards the west of St. Matthew and St. Lawrence Islands. From there, the line runs between the Commander Islands and the Aleutian Islands and returns to the 180° meridian until it passes the equator. Below the equator, the line swings far to the east, near the 150° meridian, and circumscribes Kiribati. It then returns westward but remains to the 180° longitude’s east, passing through American Samoa and Samoa. Finally, the line bends southwestwards and follows the 180° meridian until it reaches Antarctica.

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