"Darren New" <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote in message 
news:491c7acb@news.povray.org...
> Tim Cook wrote:
>> Greenwich, England was decided upon as the Prime Meridian,
>
> I think you have to ask yourself why that was, first. :-)

Not really.  Sure, the British Empire was pretty much top of the pile.  But 
they could just as easily have chosen Paris, Jerusalem, Cairo, Rome, or a 
random spot in the middle of the Sahara and marked it with a little 
monument.  Regardless of *why* a particular place was chosen, the important 
part is the fact that it *was* chosen, and agreed upon, and thenceforth used 
by everyone.  There isn't really an obvious natural feature to use as the 
Prime Meridian...well, maybe the highest point on the surface, but when 
you're out and about exploring without being actually certain what that 
point is, it's problematic, and if a higher point than the one you know 
about is discovered, you have to change all your maps.

--
Tim Cook
http://empyrean.freesitespace.net

Post a reply to this message