View source for Western Hemisphere

{{Self-contradictory|about=the definition of its subject ; its own sources (Britannica, JM Olson) indicate it is usually defined as spanning from 20W to 160E |date=February 2025}}
{{Confusing|date=January 2025|reason=much of the current article is anachronic. This subject needs a more historical perspective ; the notion of Western Hemisphere is tightly linked to the widespread use of [[Cartography#Age_of_Enlightenment|double-hemisphere world maps]] in the 17th to 19th centuries and in this sense very similar in meaning to the [[New World]]. Also, the Greenwhich meridian was only standard from 1884 onwards. Essentially all double-hemisphere maps use a partition of hemispheres around what is now the 20th meridian west, with most using that longitude as the prime meridian}}
{{Short description|Half of Earth west of the Prime Meridian}}
{{For|the metonymous location|Americas}}
[[File:Western_Hemisphere_LamAz.png|thumb|Map of the Western Hemisphere]]
The '''Western Hemisphere''' is the half of the planet Earth that lies [[west]] of the [[IERS Reference Meridian|Prime Meridian]] and [[east]] of the [[180th meridian]].<ref name=olson/><ref>{{citation | title = [[Oxford Dictionary of English]] | edition = 2nd | year = 2006 | place = London, UK | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | page = 2001}}<br>- {{citation | contribution = Western Hemisphere | title = [[Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary]]| edition = based on Collegiate vol., 11th | year = 2006 | place = Springfield, MA | publisher = Merriam-Webster}}</ref> The other half is called the [[Eastern Hemisphere]]. Geopolitically, the term Western Hemisphere is often used as a [[wikt:metonym|metonym]] for the [[Americas]] or the "[[New World]]", even though geographically the hemisphere also includes parts of other continents.{{refn|name=Ref|References<ref name=brittanica>{{Cite web|title=Western Hemisphere {{!}} Definition |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Western-Hemisphere|access-date=2021-11-21|website= Britannica |language=en|archive-date=2020-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608135129/https://www.britannica.com/place/Western-Hemisphere|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-western-hemisphere-affairs/ Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528144817/https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-western-hemisphere-affairs/ |date=2020-05-28 }}, [[United States Department of State]].</ref><ref>[https://www.treasury.gov/about/organizational-structure/offices/Pages/-Western-Hemisphere.aspx Western Hemisphere] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003051713/https://www.treasury.gov/about/organizational-structure/offices/Pages/-Western-Hemisphere.aspx |date=2020-10-03 }}, [[United States Department of the Treasury]].</ref><ref>[https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/americas Western Hemisphere] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527095204/https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/americas |date=2020-05-27 }}, [[Office of the United States Trade Representative]].</ref><ref>[https://www.americasquarterly.org/content/joe-biden-western-hemisphere-needs-us-leadership Joe Biden: The Western Hemisphere Needs U.S. Leadership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225005245/https://www.americasquarterly.org/content/joe-biden-western-hemisphere-needs-us-leadership |date=2019-12-25 }}, [[Americas Quarterly]], 17 December 2018.</ref><ref>[https://www.justice.gov/criminal-opdat/worldwide-activities/western-hemisphere Western Hemisphere] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510160215/https://www.justice.gov/criminal-opdat/worldwide-activities/western-hemisphere |date=2020-05-10 }}, [[United States Department of Justice]].</ref><ref>[https://www.fas.usda.gov/regions/western-hemisphere Western Hemisphere] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506230841/https://www.fas.usda.gov/regions/western-hemisphere |date=2020-05-06 }}, [[United States Department of Agriculture]].</ref><ref>[https://www.fws.gov/international/wildlife-without-borders/western-hemisphere/ Western Hemisphere] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621091013/https://www.fws.gov/international/wildlife-without-borders/western-hemisphere/ |date=2020-06-21 }}, [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]].</ref><ref>[https://us.fulbrightonline.org/countries/selectedregion/18 Western Hemisphere] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405090010/https://us.fulbrightonline.org/countries/selectedregion/18 |date=2020-04-05 }}, [[Fulbright Program]].</ref>}}

==Geography==
[[File:Blue Marble Western Hemisphere 2022.jpg|thumb|The Western Hemisphere in a photo taken from [[Deep Space Climate Observatory]] in June 2022]]
The Western Hemisphere comprises the [[Americas]], except some of the [[Aleutian Islands]] to the southwest of the [[Alaska]]n mainland; the westernmost parts of [[Western Europe|Europe]] and [[West Africa|Africa]], both mainland and islands; the [[Cape Dezhnev|extreme eastern tip]] of the [[Russia]]n mainland and islands ([[North Asia]]); many territories in [[Oceania]]; and a large part of [[Antarctica]].

The center of the Western Hemisphere on the surface of the Earth is in the [[Pacific Ocean]], at the intersection of the [[90th meridian west]] and the [[Equator]], among the [[Galápagos Islands]]. The nearest land is [[Genovesa Island]] at {{coord|0|19|N|89|57|W|format=dms|display=inline}}.

The [[list of highest mountains on Earth|highest mountain]] in the Western Hemisphere is [[Aconcagua]], in the [[Andes]] of [[Argentina]], at {{convert|6960.8|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="UNC-Sigma">{{cite web|url= http://www.uncu.edu.ar/novedades/index/informe-cientifico-que-estudia-el-aconcagua-el-coloso-de-america-mide-69608-metros|title= Informe científico que estudia el Aconcagua, el Coloso de América mide 6960,8 metros|language= es|trans-title= Scientific Report on Aconcagua, the Colossus of America measures 6960,8m|year= 2012|publisher= [[Universidad Nacional de Cuyo]]|access-date= September 3, 2012|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120908061725/http://www.uncu.edu.ar/novedades/index/informe-cientifico-que-estudia-el-aconcagua-el-coloso-de-america-mide-69608-metros|archive-date= September 8, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Hemisferio_Oeste.png|thumb|270px|Countries in the Western Hemisphere]]
The [[List of tallest freestanding structures|tallest freestanding structure]] in the Western Hemisphere is the [[CN Tower]], in [[Toronto]], at {{convert|553.3|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The [[List of tallest buildings|tallest building]] in the Western Hemisphere is [[One World Trade Center]], in [[New York City]] at {{convert|541.3|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

===Other definitions===
In an attempt to match the Western Hemisphere more closely with the Americas, some sources use the [[20th meridian west]] and the diametrically opposed [[160th meridian east]] to define the hemisphere.<ref name=olson>{{citation | last = Olson | first = Judy M | contribution = Projecting the hemisphere | url = https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/projection/chapter4.html | title = Matching the map projection to the need | editor1-last = Robinson | editor1-first = Arthur H | editor2-last = Snyder | editor2-first = John P | year = 1997 | place = Bethesda, MD | publisher = Cartography and Geographic Information Society, American Congress on Surveying and Mapping | access-date = 2020-03-03 | archive-date = 2016-03-14 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160314130049/https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/projection/chapter4.html | url-status = live }}.<br>- {{citation | contribution = Western Hemisphere | title =  Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary | edition = 3rd | year = 2001 | place = Springfield, Massachusetts | publisher = Merriam-Webster | page = 1294}}.</ref><ref name=brittanica/> This definition excludes all of the European and African mainlands, but still includes some islands associated with these continents, more of eastern Russia and Oceania, and part of Antarctica. It includes all islands of Alaska, but excludes a small portion of northeast [[Greenland]]. There is no hemisphere that includes all of the Americas that also excludes all land outside the Americas, regardless of the meridians or points chosen to define it.

== Sovereign states in both hemispheres ==
Below is a list of the sovereign states in both the Western and Eastern hemispheres on the [[IERS Reference Meridian]], in order from north to south:

* {{flagdeco|Denmark|size=23px}} [[Danish Realm|Denmark]], due to the entirety of ''[[Greenland]]'' and the ''[[Faroe Islands]]''. [[Denmark|Denmark proper]] lies entirely within the Eastern Hemisphere.
* {{flagdeco|Norway|size=23px}} [[Norway]], due only to [[Jan Mayen]]. Mainland Norway, ''[[Svalbard]]'' and ''[[Bouvet Island]]'' lie entirely within the Eastern Hemisphere.
* {{Flagdeco|United Kingdom|size=23px}} [[United Kingdom]], passing through [[Greenwich]], [[London]]. Most of the country lies within the Western Hemisphere.
* {{flagdeco|Netherlands|size=23px}} The [[Kingdom of the Netherlands|Netherlands]] has [[Dutch Caribbean|overseas islands]] that lie entirely within the Western Hemisphere, while [[Netherlands|mainland Netherlands]] lies entirely within the Eastern Hemisphere.

* {{flagdeco|France|size=23px}} [[France]], passing through [[Puynormand]] ([[Gironde]]). About 1/3 of the country, including cities like [[Nantes]] or [[Bordeaux]], as well as the overseas regions of [[Guadeloupe]], [[Martinique]], and [[French Guiana]] lie within the Western Hemisphere.
* {{flagdeco|Spain|size=23px}} [[Spain]], passing through [[Castellón de la Plana]] ([[Valencian Community]]). Most of Spain, including the capital [[Madrid]], the [[Canary Islands]] and the southern half of its Mediterranean [[territorial waters]], lies within the Western Hemisphere. Spanish, [[Morocco|Moroccan]] and Algerian Mediterranean waters are the only part of the [[Mediterranean Sea]] located in the Western Hemisphere.
* {{flagdeco|Algeria|size=23px}} [[Algeria]], passing through [[Stidia]]. About 1/4 of the country, including [[Oran]], Algeria's second-largest city, lies within the Western Hemisphere.
* {{flagdeco|Mali|size=23px}} [[Mali]], passing through the municipal area of [[Gao]]. Most of Mali, including the capital [[Bamako]], lies within the Western Hemisphere.
* {{flagdeco|Burkina Faso|size=23px}} [[Burkina Faso]], passing through [[Lalgaye Department|Lalgaye]]. Most of the country, including the capital [[Ouagadougou]], lies within the Western Hemisphere.
* {{flagdeco|Ghana|size=23px}} [[Ghana]], passing through [[Tema]]. Most of Ghana, including the capital [[Accra]], lies within the Western Hemisphere.
* {{flagdeco|Togo|size=23px}} [[Togo]], passing near Tami ([[Tône Prefecture]] in [[Savanes Region, Togo|Savanes Region]]).

Below is a list of additional sovereign states which are in both the Western and Eastern hemispheres along the [[180th meridian]], in order from north to south. (France is not listed below due to its inclusion above, though the meridian does pass [[Wallis and Futuna]].) With the exception of the United States (due to ''[[Wake Island]]'', ''[[Guam]]'' and the ''[[Northern Mariana Islands]]''), all of them are located on just one side of the [[International Date Line]], which curves around them.

* {{flagdeco|Russia|size=23px}} [[Russia]], passing through [[Chukotka Autonomous Okrug]]. Its portion lying east of the 180th meridian is the only part of the country lying in the Western Hemisphere.
* {{flagdeco|United States|size=23px}} [[United States]], passing through the [[Aleutian Islands]] ([[Alaska]]). Except for the portion of Aleutian Islands and waters lying west of the 180th meridian, ''[[Guam]]'', the ''[[Northern Mariana Islands]]'', and ''[[Wake Island]]'', most of the country lies east of the 180th meridian.
* {{flagdeco|Kiribati|size=23px}} [[Kiribati]], passing close to [[Arorae]]. The country has both the [[Equator]] and the 180th meridian ([[180th meridian|antimeridian]]) crossing through its territory. It is the only country located in four hemispheres.
* {{flagdeco|Tuvalu|size=23px}} [[Tuvalu]], passing close to its capital, [[Funafuti]].
* {{flagdeco|Fiji|size=23px}} [[Fiji]], passing close to its dependency ''[[Rotuma]]'' and passing through [[Taveuni]].
* {{flagdeco|New Zealand|size=23px}} Most of [[New Zealand|New Zealand proper]] lies within the Eastern Hemisphere; but [[Chatham Islands]] and [[Kermadec Islands]], as well as the self-governing states of the ''[[Cook Islands]]'' and ''[[Niue]]'' and the dependent territory of ''[[Tokelau]],'' lie east of the 180th meridian.

== Countries, dependencies and other territories in the Western Hemisphere but not in the Americas ==
The following countries and territories lie outside the [[Americas]] yet are entirely, mostly, or partially within the Western Hemisphere:

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
;<big>[[Africa]]</big>
;<small>Entirely</small>
* {{flag|Cape Verde|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Gambia|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Guinea|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Guinea-Bissau|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Ivory Coast|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Liberia|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Madeira|size=23px}} ([[Portugal]])
* {{flag|Mauritania|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Morocco|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha|size=23px}} ([[The Crown|United Kingdom]])
** {{flag|Ascension Island|size=23px}}
** {{flag|Saint Helena|size=23px}}
** {{flag|Tristan da Cunha|size=23px}}
*** {{flagdeco|Tristan da Cunha|size=23px}} [[Gough Island]]
* {{flag|Senegal|size=23px}} 
* {{flag|Sierra Leone|size=23px}} 
* {{flag|Western Sahara|size=23px}} (''[[political status of Western Sahara|disputed]]'')

;<small>Mostly</small>
* {{flag|Burkina Faso|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Ghana|size=23px}} 
* {{flag|Mali|size=23px}}

;<small>Partly</small>
* {{flag|Algeria|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Togo|size=23px}}

<br />

;<big>[[Antarctica]]</big> 
;<small>Entirely</small>
* {{flagdeco|Antarctica|size=23px}} [[Peter I Island]] ([[Antarctic Treaty System|Antarctic Treaty]] parties / ''[[Territorial claims in Antarctica|Claimed]] by [[Norway]]'')
* {{flag|South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands|size=23px}} (Administered by the [[United Kingdom]] / Claimed by [[Argentina]])
* {{flagdeco|Antarctica|size=23px}} [[South Orkney Islands]] ([[Antarctic Treaty System|Antarctic Treaty]] parties / ''[[Territorial claims in Antarctica|Claimed]] by [[Argentina]] and the [[United Kingdom]]'')
* {{flagdeco|Antarctica|size=23px}} [[South Shetland Islands]] ([[Antarctic Treaty System|Antarctic Treaty]] parties / ''[[Territorial claims in Antarctica|Claimed]] by [[Argentina]], [[Chile]] and the [[United Kingdom]]'')

;<small>Partly</small>
* {{flagdeco|Antarctica|size=23px}} [[Antarctica|Mainland Antarctica]] ([[Antarctic Treaty System|Antarctic Treaty]] parties)
** {{flagdeco|Antarctica|size=23px}} [[East Antarctica]] (partially)
** {{flagdeco|Antarctica|size=23px}} [[Transantarctic Mountains]] (partially)
** {{flagdeco|Antarctica|size=23px}} [[West Antarctica]] (entirely)

{{col-break}}

;<big>[[Asia]]</big>
;<small>Partly</small>
* {{flag|Chukotka Autonomous Okrug|size=23px}} ([[Russia]])

<br />

;<big>[[Europe]]</big>
;<small>Entirely</small>
* {{flag|Bailiwick of Guernsey|size=23px}} ([[The Crown|United Kingdom]])
** {{flag|Alderney|size=23px}}
** {{flag|Guernsey|size=23px}}
** {{flag|Sark|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Jersey|name=Bailiwick of Jersey|size=23px}} ([[The Crown|United Kingdom]])
* {{flag|Faroe Islands|size=23px}} ([[Danish Realm|Denmark]])
* {{flag|Gibraltar|size=23px}} ([[The Crown|United Kingdom]])
* {{flag|Iceland|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Isle of Man|size=23px}} ([[The Crown|United Kingdom]])
* {{flag|Jan Mayen|size=23px}} ([[Norway]])
* {{flag|Portugal|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Ireland|size=23px}}

;<small>Mostly</small>
* {{flag|Spain|size=23px}}
* {{flag|United Kingdom|size=23px}}
** {{flag|England|size=23px}} (mostly)
** [[Northern Ireland]] (entirely)
** {{flag|Scotland|size=23px}} (entirely)
** {{flag|Wales|size=23px}} (entirely)

;<small>Partly</small>
* {{flag|France|size=23px}} ([[Metropolitan France|Metropolitan]])

{{col-break}}

;<big>[[Oceania]]</big>
;<small>Entirely</small>
* {{flag|American Samoa|size=23px}} ([[United States]])
* {{flag|Chatham Islands|size=23px}} ([[New Zealand]])
* {{flag|Clipperton Island|size=23px}} ([[France]])
* {{flag|Cook Islands|size=23px}} ([[Realm of New Zealand|New Zealand]])
* {{flag|Easter Island|size=23px}} ([[Chile]])
** {{flagdeco|Easter Island}} [[Isla Salas y Gómez|Salas and Gómez Island]]
* {{flag|French Polynesia|size=23px}} ([[France]])
** {{flag|Tahiti|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Galápagos Islands|size=23px}} ([[Ecuador]])
* {{flag|Hawaii|size=23px}} ([[United States]])
* {{flagdeco|United States|size=23px}} [[Howland and Baker Islands]] ([[United States]])
** [[Baker Island]]
** [[Howland Island]]
* [[Jarvis Island]] ([[United States]])
* {{flag|Johnston Atoll|size=23px}} ([[United States]])
* {{flagdeco|New Zealand|size=23px}} [[Kermadec Islands]] ([[New Zealand]])
* [[Kingman Reef]] ([[United States]])
* [[Midway Atoll]] ([[United States]])
* {{flag|Niue|size=23px}} ([[Realm of New Zealand|New Zealand]])
* [[Palmyra Atoll]] ([[United States]])
* {{flag|Pitcairn Islands|name=Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands|size=23px}} ([[The Crown|United Kingdom]])
* {{flag|Samoa|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Tokelau|size=23px}} ([[Realm of New Zealand|New Zealand]])
* {{flag|Tonga|size=23px}}

;<small>Mostly</small>
* {{flag|Kiribati|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Wallis and Futuna|local|size=23px}} ([[France]])

;<small>Partly</small>
* {{flag|Fiji|size=23px}}
** {{flag|Rotuma|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Tuvalu|size=23px}}

{{col-end}}

==See also==
* [[Eastern Hemisphere]]
* [[Land and water hemispheres]]
* [[Western world]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
*[https://www.britannica.com/place/Western-Hemisphere "Western Hemisphere"] at [[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]]

{{Regions of the world}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Western Hemisphere| ]]
[[Category:Hemispheres of Earth]]