i need an answer...

[beckybiglands]

A few months ago, in an intoxicated state, i looked at a map of the world, i thought i'd see what was going down in the antarctica... this is where i get confused...
right... Antarticia is south of Australia, therefore the land below Tasmania would be to the east of the Antarctica... well thats what i've always thought being an Australian...
Anyways, the land that is below Tassie and NZ is called the West Land...

So my question is, what way is north when you're on the south pole?
is it everyway?
along the international date line?

WHAT? i swear i've lost sleep over this one...

 

[Mobbs]

Originally posted by beckybiglands

So my question is, what way is north when you're on the south pole?
is it everyway?
along the international date line?

WHAT? i swear i've lost sleep over this one...

every way from the south pole is north.

 

[beckybiglands]

Re: Re: i need an answer...

Originally posted by Mobbenfuhrer
every way from the south pole is north.

thats what i thought, but it sounds too simple...

i might call Dr. Karl next week....

 

[Smokin]

which "north" are you referring to? There are 4 that I know of. lol

From the south pole, being the southern most point of a globe, every direction from there is obviously "north".

At the south pole, there is an international agreement as to how winds are recorded and described etc, as North, East, South & West do not apply as they do everywhere else. I think they used lines of lattitude (1 degree) or something, I think.

I shoulda stayed awake more in geography class!

 

[Mr. Snrub]

Originally posted by Smokin
which "north" are you referring to? There are 4 that I know of. lol

From the south pole, being the southern most point of a globe, every direction from there is obviously "north".

At the south pole, there is an international agreement as to how winds are recorded and described etc, as North, East, South & West do not apply as they do everywhere else. I think they used lines of lattitude (1 degree) or something, I think.

I shoulda stayed awake more in geography class!

That's right - by definition, no matter which way you head from the south pole you'll be going north. West and east are defined by the latitude lines which don't exist at the poles. So I'd guess the "West Land" is so named because it's west relative to some other place in Antarctica rather than because it's at the western end of the continent (which doesn't exist, because the Antarctic coastline actually runs west-east the whole way around (give or take)).

I must admit I'd never thought about how they measure wind direction etc at the pole before...

 

[BomberGal]

Everything is north.


Like this riddle:
You build a house, and all four walls have southern exposure. A big bear comes along. What colour is the bear?

(well, it's kinda related)

 

[beckybiglands]

WHAT COLOUR IS THE BEAR???

 

[supa-gal]

My thought on the subject is along the lines of BomberGal's.

But I did learn, either from school or from TV, that from the south pole everyway is north.

 

[djgk53]

I guess it depends on what you take as your reference point. And NSEW is just another way of describing direction.

Who knows? Why lose sleep over it?

Parnell never talked about this did he Steph?

 

[supa-gal]

Parnell only taught me not to drive over a wombat because it ruins your suspension

 

[djgk53]

!~NICE~!

Ooh so true....

 

[CharlieG]

Originally posted by beckybiglands
WHAT COLOUR IS THE BEAR???

White.

 

[Weaver]

Originally posted by beckybiglands

Anyways, the land that is below Tassie and NZ is called the West Land...

West and East is arbitrary in this sense.

No reason WA could not be called Eastern Australia in that it is East of Perth and South Australia be called Western Australia because it is West of Victoria. Could call Victoria, the Northern Territory because it is north of Tassie and New South Wales could become South Australia because it is South of Queensland.

So it all depends on where you started from.