The meridian 26° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, the Atlantic Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.
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The 26th meridian west forms a great circle with the 154th meridian east.
From Pole to Pole
editStarting at the North Pole and heading south to the South Pole, the 26th meridian west passes through:
The line is historically important because on 18 April 1941 the United States government used it as the demarcation between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres for the period of hostilities leading up to its participation in the Second World War. This influenced Britain's proposed occupation of the Canary Islands in its planned (but never executed) Operation Pilgrim. After the war began the boundary was moved to the 35th meridian west for purposes of service, as specified in the American Campaign Medal.
