The Greenwich Meridian

On 13 August 2014, I stood at the Greenwich Meridian, with one foot in the Eastern Hemisphere and the other in the Western - straddling the very line that divides the world longitudinally.

This Zero Degree Longitude, established at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, was defined by Sir George Airy in 1851. However, it wasn’t until the International Meridian Conference held in Washington D.C. in 1884 that the Greenwich Meridian was officially recognized as the Prime Meridian of the world. At that conference, 22 nations agreed to adopt it as the global reference point for timekeeping and navigation.

Although the Greenwich Meridian is an imaginary line, it plays a critical role in geography and global coordination. In addition to the United Kingdom, it also passes through seven other countries: France, Spain, Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Ghana.

Kota Kinabalu, located at approximately 116.0782 degrees east longitude, should theoretically be 7 hours and 45 minutes ahead of London based on its geographical position. However, for the sake of national consistency, Malaysia has standardized its time zone to be exactly 7 hours ahead of London’s time (GMT+8), simplifying coordination across the country.

 

It costs 7 pounds to stand on this line within the fenced compound.

However, visitors can also choose to have photo taken free of charge next to a vertical line outside the fenced compound. We did both.