45×90 points

The marker for the 45×90 point in North America; the sign was later amended to explain that the real location is actually approximately 1063 feet (324 m) behind and to the left of the marker on the ground.

Close up of the incorrectly placed marker in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States

The 45×90 points are the four points on earth which are halfway between the geographical poles, the equator, the Prime Meridian, and the 180th meridian.

45°N, 90°W

The best known and most frequently visited such point is 45°0′0″N 90°0′0″W / 45.00000°N 90.00000°W / 45.00000; -90.00000 which is located on land at 1,345 feet above sea level in the town of Rietbrock, Wisconsin near the unincorporated community of Poniatowski. A geographic marker has been placed there by the Marathon County Park Commission. With the increase in use of personal GPS devices, the sign was amended to clarify that the actual 45×90 point is actually approximately 1063 feet (324 m) away in a field behind the sign; the location of the marker was chosen because of its proximity to the road.

The point has become something of a pop culture phenomenon thanks to Gesicki's Tavern in the tiny cluster of establishments in Poniatowski.^[1] They once sold 45×90 T-shirts and registered visitors as members of the "45x90 Club".^[1] Since 2006, the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau has been the holder of the official "45x90 Club" registration book. The book is on loan from the Gesicki family.^[2] Upon becoming a member of the "45x90 Club", the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau will give new members a commemorative coin.

45°N, 90°E

The only other 45×90 point located on land is 45°0′0″N 90°0′0″E / 45.00000°N 90.00000°E / 45.00000; 90.00000 which has a height of 3,311 feet above sea level and is located in a desolate region of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China near the Mongolian border, some 240 km (150 mi) northeast of Ürümqi. Administratively, it is on the border of Qitai and Qinggil Counties. Greg Michaels, an American, and Ru Rong Zhao, a taxi driver from the closest town of Qitai, itself 110 km to the south-southwest, visited this point on April 13, 2004 and documented the visit on the Degree Confluence Project.^[3] Their visit shows that there is no monument or any physical sign that recognition has been given to this location.

45°S, 90°E

Possible debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (colored spots in lower left) were spotted by satellite near 45°S, 90°E.

Located in the southern Indian Ocean, 45°0′0″S 90°0′0″E / 45.00000°S 90.00000°E / -45.00000; 90.00000 has an ocean floor depth of 10,489 feet below sea level and is 773 miles southeast of the nearest uninhabited island of Île Saint-Paul, 920 miles northeast of Elephant Spit on Heard Island, 975 miles east north east of Port aux Français in the Kerguelen Islands, 1,507 miles north of Antarctica, and 1,521 miles southwest of the closest inhabited land of Augusta, Western Australia,

The antipode of the southern Indian Ocean location is the (45°N,90°W) location in Wisconsin.

In March 2014, the location in the southern Indian Ocean was the subject of an aerial search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, after the only possible debris ever spotted by satellite were centered around the 45°S, 90°E location.^[4]^[5]^[6]

45×90 points

45°N, 90°W

45°N, 90°E

45°S, 90°E

45°S, 90°W

See also

Notes

External links