Where is ‘null island’?

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Written By Chris Shirley MA FRGS

Null Island is a fictional island that is located at the intersection of the Equator and the Prime Meridian, which is the point on the earth's surface where latitude and longitude are both 0 degrees. In reality, there is no actual island at this location, but the name is often used to refer to the coordinates (0,0) in mapping systems.

 

The name "Null Island" is a play on words, as the word "null" means "zero" or "empty," and there is no actual island at this location. The term was coined by cartographers and geographers to provide a placeholder for data that is missing or incorrect. If a mapping system cannot determine the correct location of a data point, it may assign it to Null Island as a default location.

 

While Null Island is not a real place, it has become a popular reference in the world of mapping and geography. It is often used in jokes and humour related to cartography, and some map enthusiasts even create fictional maps of the island and its supposed inhabitants.

Chris Shirley MA FRGS

About the Author:

Chris is the founder of Hiatus.Design, a mission-driven branding and website design company that works with clients all over the world.

Over the course of his life, he has travelled to more than 60 countries across six continents, earned two Guinness World Records, completed the legendary Marathon des Sables, summited Mont Blanc and unclimbed peaks in Asia, become a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), rowed across the Atlantic Ocean and obtained a Masterʼs degree in Business Management (MA).

https://www.hiatus.design
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