Western Hemisphere


The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the 180th meridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. In the Americas, the term Western Hemisphere may be used as a metonym for the North and South American continents or for the "New World", even though geographically the hemisphere also includes parts of other continents.

Geography

The Western Hemisphere comprises the Americas, except some of the Aleutian Islands to the southwest of the Alaskan mainland; the westernmost parts of Europe and Africa, both mainland and islands; the extreme eastern tip of the Russian mainland and islands ; many territories in Oceania; and a large part of Antarctica.
The center of the Western Hemisphere on the surface of the Earth is in the Pacific Ocean, at the intersection of the 90th meridian west and the Equator, among the Galápagos Islands. The nearest land is Genovesa Island at.
The highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere is Aconcagua, in the Andes of Argentina, at.
The tallest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere is the CN Tower, in Toronto, at. The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere is One World Trade Center, in New York City at.

Other definitions

In an attempt to match the Western Hemisphere more closely with the Americas, some sources use the 20th meridian west and the diametrically opposed 160th meridian east to define the hemisphere. This definition excludes all of the European and African mainlands, but still includes some islands associated with these continents, more of eastern Russia and Oceania, and part of Antarctica. It includes all islands of Alaska, but excludes a small portion of northeast Greenland. There is no hemisphere that includes all of the Americas that also excludes all land outside the Americas, regardless of the meridians or points chosen to define it.

Sovereign states in both hemispheres

Below is a list of the sovereign states in both the Western and Eastern hemispheres on the IERS Reference Meridian, in order from north to south:
Below is a list of additional sovereign states which are in both the Western and Eastern hemispheres along the 180th meridian, in order from north to south. With the exception of the United States, all of them are located on just one side of the International Date Line, which curves around them.
The following countries and territories lie outside the Americas yet are entirely, mostly, or partially within the Western Hemisphere:
;Africa
;Entirely
;Mostly
;Partly


;Antarctica
;Entirely
;Partly
;Asia
;Partly


;Europe
;Entirely
  • *
  • *
  • *
;Mostly
;Partly
;Oceania
;Entirely
;Mostly
;Partly
*