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Name: Unknown
Status: N/A
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 1999
Question:
One of my teachers says that 90 N is the North Pole. Another teachers says that it is 80 N. Which one is correct? My encyclopedia says that it is 90, but one of my teachers is convinced that it is 80. My encyclopedia is old. Has something new been decided? Thanks, Barry.

Replies:
90 degrees north, 90 degrees is a right angle and the poles are at right angles to the equator.

--- Jade

There are actually two North Poles! The geographic North Pole is the place in the Northern hemisphere where the Earth's rotational axis intersects the Earth's surface. By definition, this is 90 degrees north latitude. The magnetic North Pole is the region (it's not as localized as the geographic pole) in the Northern hemisphere where the Earth's magnetic field is perpendicular to the Earth's surface. This pole wanders; according to my World Almanac, it was located at about 70.5 deg N lat. and 96 deg W long. in 1905, but in 1970 was located at about 76.2 deg N lat. and 101 deg W long. The almanac claims that part of the difference between these two is due to error in the 1905 measurement; even so, by now the magnetic pole may well be located around 80 deg. N latitude.

rcwinther


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