Since the Earth is a near-sphere, its centre (the core) is of course thousands of miles beneath its crust. However, one could perhaps consider the intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian, located at the coordinates of zero degrees by zero, to be the "centre" of the human world, especially when viewed on a map. This point is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 382 miles (~614 km) south of Accra, Ghana, in the Gulf of Guinea.
Some people, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, have claimed certain cities to be the centre of the Earth or of the universe. One such claimant is the small town of Felicity, California, in the far southeast corner of the state, where a "Center of the World Pyramid" stands. Local resident and children's book author Jacques-Andres Istel convinced officials in China, France, and Imperial County, California (in which Felicity is located), that Felicity is legally and officially the centre of the world.
In the same way, in different periods of history many cultures claimed their cities to be the centre of the world: Rome, Delfi, Cusco and Easter Island, also called "Te Pito Te Henua" ("the belly-button of the world") by the islanders.
Surrealist artist Salvador Dalà made an even more ambitious claim; that the railway station in Perpignan, France, is the centre of the universe. On the platform is painted « perpignan centre du monde » (French for "perpignan centre of the world") 1.
In the 1990s, a local artist posted a sign in a neighbourhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, identifying it as "East Hills: Center of the Universe". The sign stood for years, until the construction of a new retail development at that site, named "East Hills Center (of the Universe)". Official banners throughout the business district matter-of-factly echo the claim.
2006-09-17 14:46:59
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answer #2
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answered by skyeblue 5
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