Stand Halfway Between The Equator And North Pole In This One Spot In Wyoming
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Caryl
Author
Wyoming is home to a very unique spot known as the 45th Parallel. The 45th Parallel is an imaginary line that circles the globe at a point that is halfway between the equator and North Pole. This same line also passes through Minneapolis-St. Paul; Ottawa, Canada; Venice, Italy; and the northern point of the Japanese Islands. In this spot, you can stand between two very extreme areas.
First, to understand the geographic coordinate of the 45th Parallel, here is a visual of a globe. The red line represents the equator and each latitude line or line running east to west represents 10º.
The 45th Parallel pretty much follows the border between Montana and Wyoming but at times runs just slightly north of it.
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For most of its length, the 45th Parallel follows the border but inside Yellowstone National Park, the line becomes a little more erratic and actually runs slightly to the north because the earth bulges at the equator and flattens at the poles.
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The sign in Yellowstone is not at the actual coordinates. The actual coordinates for the 45th Parallel are 45º N, 124º W.
The sign was originally placed along the road near the parking area for the Boiling River between Gardiner and Mammoth Hot Springs. This spot was so popular that the area became very congested.
It was later moved north and across the highway to a safer location which just so happens is actually closer to the actual coordinates.
Be sure to check this unique area out next time you are driving or hiking through the park.
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