The meridian 129° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, Australia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.

Line across the Earth
129°
129th meridian east
In Australia the meridian nominally defines the eastern border of Western Australia with the Northern Territory and South Australia.

The 129th meridian east forms a great circle with the 51st meridian west.

In Australia, the meridian nominally defines the eastern border of Western Australia, and the western borders of the Northern Territory and South Australia.[1] However, the border of Western Australia actually meets the Northern Territory border and South Australian border at the 26th parallel south, at what is known as Surveyor Generals Corner.[2]

From Pole to Pole edit

Starting at the North Pole and heading south to the South Pole, the 129th meridian east passes through:

Co-ordinates Country, territory or sea Notes
90°0′N 129°0′E / 90.000°N 129.000°E / 90.000; 129.000 (Arctic Ocean) Arctic Ocean
77°21′N 129°0′E / 77.350°N 129.000°E / 77.350; 129.000 (Laptev Sea) Laptev Sea
73°6′N 129°0′E / 73.100°N 129.000°E / 73.100; 129.000 (Russia)   Russia Sakha Republic — islands of the Lena Delta and the mainland
Amur Oblast — from 55°30′N 129°0′E / 55.500°N 129.000°E / 55.500; 129.000 (Amur Oblast)
49°27′N 129°0′E / 49.450°N 129.000°E / 49.450; 129.000 (China)   People's Republic of China Heilongjiang
Jilin — from 43°31′N 129°0′E / 43.517°N 129.000°E / 43.517; 129.000 (Jilin)
42°6′N 129°0′E / 42.100°N 129.000°E / 42.100; 129.000 (North Korea)   North Korea
40°28′N 129°0′E / 40.467°N 129.000°E / 40.467; 129.000 (Sea of Japan) Sea of Japan
37°43′N 129°0′E / 37.717°N 129.000°E / 37.717; 129.000 (South Korea)   South Korea Passing just west of Busan
35°4′N 129°0′E / 35.067°N 129.000°E / 35.067; 129.000 (East China Sea) East China Sea Korea Strait — passing just west of the island of Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture,   Japan (at 34°8′N 129°10′E / 34.133°N 129.167°E / 34.133; 129.167 (Shimono-shima))
32°58′N 129°0′E / 32.967°N 129.000°E / 32.967; 129.000 (Japan)   Japan Nagasaki Prefecture — islands of Nakadorijima, Wakamatsujima and Kabajima, Gotō Islands
32°44′N 129°0′E / 32.733°N 129.000°E / 32.733; 129.000 (East China Sea) East China Sea
28°50′N 129°0′E / 28.833°N 129.000°E / 28.833; 129.000 (Japan)   Japan Kagoshima Prefecture — islands of Kaminonejima and Yokoatejima, Tokara Islands
28°47′N 129°0′E / 28.783°N 129.000°E / 28.783; 129.000 (East China Sea) East China Sea
27°48′N 129°0′E / 27.800°N 129.000°E / 27.800; 129.000 (Japan)   Japan Kagoshima Prefecture — island of Tokunoshima
27°41′N 129°0′E / 27.683°N 129.000°E / 27.683; 129.000 (Pacific Ocean) Pacific Ocean Passing just east of the island of Halmahera,   Indonesia (at 0°13′N 128°54′E / 0.217°N 128.900°E / 0.217; 128.900 (Halmahera))
1°55′N 129°0′E / 1.917°N 129.000°E / 1.917; 129.000 (Halmahera Sea) Halmahera Sea
1°20′S 129°0′E / 1.333°S 129.000°E / -1.333; 129.000 (Ceram Sea) Ceram Sea
2°49′S 129°0′E / 2.817°S 129.000°E / -2.817; 129.000 (Indonesia)   Indonesia Island of Seram
3°21′S 129°0′E / 3.350°S 129.000°E / -3.350; 129.000 (Banda Sea) Banda Sea
8°12′S 129°0′E / 8.200°S 129.000°E / -8.200; 129.000 (Indonesia)   Indonesia Island of Sermata
8°16′S 129°0′E / 8.267°S 129.000°E / -8.267; 129.000 (Timor Sea) Timor Sea
14°52′S 129°0′E / 14.867°S 129.000°E / -14.867; 129.000 (Australia)   Australia Western Australia / Northern Territory border
Western Australia / South Australia border — from 26°0′S 129°0′E / 26.000°S 129.000°E / -26.000; 129.000 (Western Australia / South Australia border)
31°41′S 129°0′E / 31.683°S 129.000°E / -31.683; 129.000 (Indian Ocean) Indian Ocean Australian authorities consider this to be part of the Southern Ocean[3][4]
60°0′S 129°0′E / 60.000°S 129.000°E / -60.000; 129.000 (Southern Ocean) Southern Ocean
66°59′S 129°0′E / 66.983°S 129.000°E / -66.983; 129.000 (Antarctica) Antarctica Australian Antarctic Territory, claimed by   Australia

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Border Lengths - States and Territories: Western Australia - South Australia - Northern Territory border". Geoscience Australia, Government of Australia. 2021. A glance at most maps of Australia will tell you something that isn't quite true. The border which runs along the eastern edge of Western Australia is not actually one continuous straight line. [...] The [1922] agreement set out the border as being a line determined by the 129th meridian east longitude. However, the agreement required that the boundary be defined by lines running north and south [...] and in June 1968 two monuments approximately 127 metres apart were erected at the junction of the boundaries.
  2. ^ Porter, John (April 1990). AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE - Longitude 129 degrees east, and why it is not the longest, straight line in the world. National Perspectives: 32nd Australian Surveyors Congress Technical Papers 31 March - 6 April 1990. Canberra: The Institution: Eyepiece - Official Organ of The Institution of Surveyors, Australia, W.A. Division. pp. 18–24. Porter.
  3. ^ Darby, Andrew (22 December 2003). "Canberra all at sea over position of Southern Ocean". The Age. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Indian Ocean". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2013.