Q. With reference to the “International Date line”, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. It functions as a “line of demarcation”.
2. It has legal international status.
3. It is a straight line.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer: A
Notes:
The International Date Line, established in 1884, passes through the mid-Pacific Ocean and roughly follows a 180 degrees longitude north-south line on the Earth.
- It is located halfway round the world from the prime meridian—the zero degrees longitude established in Greenwich, England, in 1852.
- The International Date Line functions as a “line of demarcation” separating two consecutive calendar dates.
- When you cross the date line, you become a time traveler of sorts! Cross to the west and its one day later; cross back and you’ve “gone back in time.”
- Despite its name, the International Date Line has no legal international status and countries are free to choose the dates that they observe.
- While the date line generally runs north to south from pole to pole, it zigzags around political borders such as eastern Russia and Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
Source: G C Leong
