Which country on earth first saw the sun?

The book The Country of Sunrise-Tonga is different in that firstly, Tonga, a kingdom with a long history in the South Pacific, is located at the junction of the eastern hemisphere and the western hemisphere, and secondly, longitude 0 and 180 are the dividing lines between the eastern hemisphere and the western hemisphere. Third, "a country spans two hemispheres, and a country has two dates on the same day ..." Fourth, "Tonga is located between the west longitude 173- 177, and international date line moves eastward, putting both countries into the old hemisphere countries, including Tonga." Wait a minute.

According to the current junior high school geography textbooks in China, the dividing line between the eastern hemisphere and the western hemisphere is 20 west longitude and160 east longitude, not 0 longitude and180 longitude. The kingdom of Tonga is located between the west longitude 173- 177, so Tonga is not located at the junction of the eastern and western hemispheres. It and some island countries in the Pacific Ocean, such as Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, Fiji and New Zealand, should belong to the western hemisphere, and New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga will not be included in the eastern hemisphere because of the eastward movement of the Japanese border. Because the position of the date line has nothing to do with the dividing line between the eastern and western hemispheres.

Judging which country is "the first country in the world to welcome the sun" involves the division of the sun boundary. 1884 At the International Longitude Conference held in Washington, USA, the longitude of Greenwich Observatory (the original site) in London, England was officially determined as the global zero longitude. At the same time, it was stipulated that longitude 180 should be used as the dividing line between today and yesterday on the earth in principle, and it was called "international international date line", referred to as the solar boundary for short. In order to take care of the convenience of residents near the 180 meridian and avoid a country with the same time (hours, minutes and seconds) but different dates (one day apart), Japan's borders are slightly tortuous to avoid these countries. Therefore, only countries or regions that cross Japan's borders will have two dates on the same day, while countries that cross the eastern and western hemispheres will not have "one country and two dates on the same day."

The specific differences between "today" and "yesterday" are as follows: in a certain range on both sides of the Japanese border, in the area between east longitude 172.5 and west longitude 172.5 (the time zone is East and West Twelve Districts), the East Twelfth District is always 24 hours earlier than the West Twelfth District, that is, one day earlier. Therefore, from the east 12 area to the east, the date will be shortened by one day; From the west 12 area to the west, the date is increased by one day. Therefore, the area to the west of international date line is today and the area to the east is yesterday.

For example, the eastern end of Russia crosses the eastern and western hemispheres with a longitude of 180. In order not to cause time inconvenience in this area, the Japanese boundary twists and turns here, bypassing the land and crossing the Bering Strait. Tonga, because the date line moves eastward and is close to the west side of the date line, has always claimed to be the first country in the world to welcome a new day, the first country to welcome the sun, and the first country to enter the 2 1 century, attracting many tourists with the geographical resources of "the country of sunrise". Similarly, Samoa, near the east of international date line, is "the last country in the world to see the sun" and is known as "the country of sunset".

As for who is the first country in the world to welcome the sun, it is controversial. It can be discussed from three aspects: time, time and habit. From the map (based on the first edition of China Map Publishing House 1997, 10): Caroline Island (Kiribati) is about150 west longitude; Peter Island (New Zealand) W175; Tonga lies between west longitude 173- 177. Generally speaking, many countries take the time zone where the capital is located as the national time. Tonga, whose capital is located in the west 12 area, and Kiribati, Tuvalu, Fiji and New Zealand, which are located in the east 12 area, have the same time, so it is generally necessary to consider who is "the first country to welcome the sun in the world" from the local time.

In terms of time, it is the first place where the sun shines on a new day. Such an area must be close to the west side of international date line, and Ullian, Kiercz Nev Point, or the islands in the Bering Strait, which is the eastern end of Russia, should be the first area to see the new sun. But the arrival of the new millennium is winter in the northern hemisphere, and people are more willing to go to tropical island countries to welcome the arrival of the new century. The area west of the date line is preferred. The actual location of Caroline Island (Kiribati) is near the west longitude 150, which is too far from the Japanese border, so it is generally not considered. Pitt Island (New Zealand) is just an island. On the whole, Tonga is the country closest to the Japanese border. Tonga has naturally become the most popular place. And Tonga has always been called "the country of sunrise". According to local time and habits, Tonga is recognized as "the first country to see the sun in the world", and the dawn of the new millennium is also recognized here.