Question

The meridian of the earth is an imaginary line passing through the__________
A. Equator
B. Meridian
C. Axis
D. Poles

Answer 1

Hint: A meridian refers to an imaginary line around the globe that connects the points of equal longitude between the east and west positions of a location on the earth’s surface. The first person to have consistently used the idea of longitude and meridian was the renowned geographer Ptolemy.

Complete step by step answer:
The term Meridian originates from the Latin word ‘meridians’ which means ‘midday’. Meridian is an imaginary North-South hemisphere line present on the earth’s surface that connects both the geographical poles and the meridian is used to indicate longitude. The longitude divides the earth into two equal halves of which the prime meridian is the dividing line of the two. The imaginary line passes over three continents such as Europe, Africa, and Antarctica. It also passes four countries namely France, Spain, West Africa, and the United Kingdom. The prime meridian also passes through Greenwich England and therefore it is considered for its 0-degree longitude. During the year 1884, when the International Meridian Conference was held in Washington D.C, around twenty-six countries voted to have a single International Prime Meridian which was to pass through Greenwich. This has now become the recognized prime meridian for the whole world.
So, the correct answer is Option D.

Note: GMT or the Greenwich Mean Time is the time measure on the Earth’s zero degrees line of longitude or the meridian. This runs from the North to the South Pole passing through the Old Royal Observatory in the London suburb of Greenwich, England.