Null Island

Null Island

The weather buoy moored at the coordinates of Null Island
Null Island
Geography
Coordinates 0°N 0°E / 0°N 0°E / 0; 0Coordinates: 0°N 0°E / 0°N 0°E / 0; 0
Area 1 m2 (11 sq ft)
Length 1 m (3 ft)
Width 1 m (3 ft)
Coastline 4 m (13 ft)
Administration
Demographics
Population 0
Additional information
This fictional island is a cartographical convenience only

Null Island is a fictional island in the Gulf of Guinea added to the Natural Earth public domain map dataset,[1] located where the equator crosses the prime meridian, at coordinates 0°N 0°E / 0°N 0°E / 0; 0.[2][3][4] Natural Earth describes the entity as a "1 meter square island" with "scale rank 100, indicating it should never be shown in mapping."[1] Although intended humorously, the fiction has a serious purpose and is used by mapping systems to trap errors.[3] Null Island was developed as an idea in 2011 or slightly earlier. Since then, numerous web pages have documented this fictional landmass's flag, geography, and history.[5]

In reality, a weather observation buoy, part of the PIRATA system, is moored at the supposed location of the island.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Kurgan, Laura (2013). Close Up at a Distance: Mapping, Technology and Politics. New York: Zone Books. p. 157. ISBN 9781935408284.
  2. "Null Island". Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Natural Earth version 1.3 release notes". 2011-01-31. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  4. Hotz, Robert Lee (14 July 2016). "If You Can't Follow Directions, You'll End Up on Null Island". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  5. St. Onge, Tim. "The Geographical Oddity of Null Island". Library of Congress. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  6. "Station 13010 - Soul". National Data Buoy Center. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
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