0′ 0′ 0″

That’s the latitude coordinates for the equator, an imaginary line that separates the north and south hemispheres and runs through 14 countries. In Ecuador, the spot is marked with a 100 ft.-tall monument and a yellow painted stripe. The location has its own city, called Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World City). Fun fact: Ecuador gets its name from the Spanish word for equator.

In this spot, it is possible to have one foot in the Northern Hemisphere, and the other in the Southern Hemisphere. Here is the obligatory tourist photo:

One small fly in this ointment: modern GPS measurements (not available at the time the original surveys were done) revealed that the location was slightly off. The actual equator is about 200 ft. away. But no one seems bothered by this discrepancy. This article referred to it as Middle of the World – Mas o Menos (More or Less), which I think is a good way to resolve the issue.

{Shannon: I know you like the geography lessons, so this one’s especially for you!}