Confluence.org

-
-
There are a group of locos who have GPSs, and their goal is to go to as many places as possible on the face of the earth where latitude and longitude integer lines cross.
-
Latitude lines are constant, but after Wellington kicked Napoleon's tight little ass at Waterloo, Belgium just south of Brussels in 1815, as a form of revenge the prime meridian was taken away from Paris and was moved to London (the suburb of Greenwich).
-
Well maybe I've used a little bit of license in telling that story, but the prime meriadian did indeed run through Paris in the past. In 1884 there was an international conference on the prime meridian and Greenwich England was chosen...the French abstained, and some French cartographers still cling today to the line which ran through Paris. Check out the Arago line in Paris. I have been there several times. There also was an Antwerp, Belgium meridian.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Meridian
-
So with old lat-long positions the latitude will be correct, but not the longitude. It may be off a little more than two degrees.
-
A case in the point that I have been to is the position markings on the memorial at the top of the highest hill in Aachen, Germany. This massive memorial predates the date of change.
-
I have been to a couple of these confluences (http://www.confluence.org/visitor.php?id=14625 ) the latest in the Jornada del Muerto in Southern New Mexico, USA. If you go to the following link you will see my narrative and pictures from this location including my little doggie and the Garmin Quest.
-
Link to Confluence.Org http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?visitid=14471
-
-