| GH85Carrera |
11-24-2020 01:51 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by masraum
(Post 11115819)
The extremes of east and west are not based on the Prime Meridian. That's the starting point of east and west, so if you are near the Prime Meridian, you are as least East or West as you can be.
The states that are closest to the Anti-Meridian from each direction would then be the farthest east and west.
It looks like I was close/half correct.
The Aleutian islands extend past the Anti-Meridian which makes Alaska the state that is both the farthest east and the farthest west. (which would be fubar if you used the actual Intl Date line since due to political borders, the Intl date line curves out to ensure that all of the US is on the same side.
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If one uses the anti-meridian at the point of departure from going west and now going east it is furthest east and west is the two side of a single line. Literally microns apart is the same east west far point. So it is very possible to stand on both the east and west hemisphere.
Like going to the north pole, there is no way to continue further north, every direction in 360 degrees is south. Latitude is simply an arbitrary point some British dude spit on the ground, and said this is point zero. No one can argue about the equator as the division from north to south. It is the equator.
So the real answer to the "trick" question is a line in Alaska is both the furthest east and west. And Alaska is certainly the furthest north one can go and be in America. So the answer is Alaska, Alaska and Alaska.
For common sense answer, some point in Maine is the first to see the sun rise in the east, yet much of Alaska never has the sun set, and some times never rises so the sun rise alone is not a valid marker.
Only if one uses the Prime meridian and some old British dude setting the beginning of the world in Greenwich England as the zero point (pure arbitrary point) then it is correct on a technicality.
Common sense is go as far east as possible in the USA and you hit water in northern Maine. Travel west and and at some point the Aleutian islands become Russian territory and you can't go any further west in the USA.
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