Hi, John >> Anselmo Perez Serrada >> >> [ 41º 39' N 13º 15' E (from the Hierro island) ] >> > I note that you are a true traditionalist when quoting latitude. Exactly > where on El Hierro island was (is ;-)) the zero meridian ?
Oh, no! It was a small irony. The other day I saw a French encyclopaedia (written in the 50's!) that used in some maps the Meridian of Paris as a reference and I thought 'Why not bringing to life our old Hierro Meridian?'. This was a widespread reference used since Ptolemy and mainly in the Renaissance times. The Hierro Island is the most western of the Canary Islands and it is supposed that the aforementioned Meridian passed by its most western 'tip', ie., the Punta Orchilla Cape, at about 18 deg 17 min East from Greenwich (excusez moi, je ne sais pas combien des degres depuis Paris! :-). Anyway, until the XVth Century it was quite a remote place only inhabited by a few aboriginals, so I believe there were many Hierro Meridians depending on the cartographers that made the charts. And finally, as far as I've been told, it is now a very beautiful place, immensely quiet and 100% environmental respecting, so there are a lot of reasons for visiting it on holidays. Best regards, [ 41.63 N 4.73 W] Best regards John D Hall Launceston - Tasmania 41.24S 147.07E Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] - -
