The International Date Line (IDL) is an imaginary line that runs roughly along the 180 degrees longitude line in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, extending from the North Pole to the South Pole. It is located halfway around the world from the Prime Meridian at 0 degrees longitude in Greenwich, England
. The line serves as the boundary between one calendar day and the next. Crossing the line traveling west adds a day, while crossing east subtracts a day
. Although it generally follows the 180° meridian, the IDL zigzags to accommodate political borders and territories, such as bending east around eastern Russia and the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and swinging eastward to include island groups like Kiribati and keep them on the same calendar day as New Zealand
. In summary, the International Date Line is located mostly along the 180° longitude in the Pacific Ocean but deviates around landmasses and political boundaries to maintain consistent local dates for countries and islands
