The world looks weird and wonderful. 🗺

It's not arbitrary. It was a definite choice made by people whose maps survive and pervade.

It’s not arbitrary, it’s because the 0 degree meridian goes through London. Ever heard of GMT?

It's centered on Greenwich as that is where 0 Longitude is.

I think you’ll find it’s not centred on Great Britain actually I think you’ll find that actually in the centre of that map is Africa which is quite often misrepresented in a much smaller size so let’s not go there thank you very much with your hatred of colonialism just because we gave you history doesn’t mean you have to hate it

Few maps nowadays are centred on the uk, rather it is shifted so that the 'zipper' goes down the pacific ocean (the widest, least inhabited expanse on earth) and no landmasses have to be split.

We are still sooooooo small! But look at us, still in the middle of everything!

The prime meridian is the line of 0 longitude, the starting point for measuring distance both east and west around the Earth. The prime meridian is arbitrary, meaning it could be chosen to be anywhere. Any line of longitude (a meridian) can serve as the 0 longitude line. However, there is an international agreement that the meridian that runs through Greenwich, England, is considered the official prime meridian. Finally, at an international convention called by U.S. President Chester Arthur in 1884, representatives from 25 countries agreed to pick a single, standard meridian. They chose the meridian passing through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. The Greenwich Meridian became the international standard for the prime meridian.

New zealand is on my 3 favorite countries with the netherlands and madagascar. I haven't been to any of those places but maybe someday...

New fav map, cos Australia is near the middle too

I love this. Each country should make their own "we're at the center, because why not?" map

Actually, it is centered on this point in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of the “dent” in africa

love it

ever seen a globe?

Having the Atlantic in the middle makes more sense than using the Pacific and pushing the land to the edges.

Sooooo....when do we show it to the flat-Earthers?

Africa looks BEEEeeeEEEnnnDDDyyy

oml my eyes hurt

Much better :)

Nowadays, almost every continent uses world maps that displays it centrally.

my life is a lie.

"F**k you guys, I do what I want!"

middle earth!

So changing the center changes the shape of the other countries? Britain never has been the center so we must have differing maps.

download-5...4864ca.jpg

Shouldn't the southern tip of Africa be pointing at Antarctica?

Kind of a water world map

This should be higher. So cool.

Centered on the south pole is better

i like this better:)

definitely not how the world would look like centered on New Zealand

Silly, everyone knows it's centered on the US. 😜

Go Hobbits!

F**K YEAH 🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿

As it should be. <3

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England is the best country... Well was till they let muslims and non-whites in... The creators of maps were British, hence the localization. Relax fairies.