From: Joe Thorne[SMTP:jgthorne@concentric.net] Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 1998 12:49 PM I have a question about the international time date line. Is it true that it runs through no body of land or Pacific island? The International Date Line isn't a fixed international standard; it's just a cartographer's convenience. Every now and then an island or island group moves its clocks 24 hours ahead (or behind); when that happens, the International Date Line in effect has been adjusted. Most maps have an inaccurate International Date Line, since most map-makers are using old data. As far as I know, the most recent island groups to jump across the Date Line were the Phoenix and Line Islands in 1995. To answer your question, the Date Line clearly runs through Antarctica somewhere, and by convention this is at 180 degrees longitude; other than that I don't know of any land that it runs through right now. I heard on the CBC that some islands moved it to intersect their cities, is this true? This is news to me. Can you give any more details about what you heard, and who and when you heard it from? I searched for "International Date Line" at http://www.radio.cbc.ca/surfboard.html and at http://www.tv.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/AT-Full_Sitesearch.cgi, and came up emptyhanded both times. Can they officially do that? Sure, why not? The Wall St Journal (1996-01-22, page 1) reported that Cuba is considering jumping across the International Date Line, just so that it's the first into the year 2000. So it's possible you'll have to adjust your travel plans.