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"180 degree longitude" is not zig-zag. It's the same shape as any other meridian of

longitude ... a smooth, continuous, 'straight' line on the Earth's surface that joins

the north and south poles.

However, the International Date Line ... which is 'nominally' the same as the 180 meridian ...

is zig-zagged. That was done in order to avoid splitting any single island, state, or country

into two different calendar dates. One of the places that would have had two different

dates if the IDL had been drawn straight is the state of Alaska.

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13y ago

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