Western Hemisphere

Lore & Background

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 (North Asia); 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 0°19′N 89°57′W. The largest country entirely in the Western Hemisphere is Canada at 9,984,670 km2. Fifteen independent countries entirely in the Western Hemisphere have no land borders to other countries: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Cape Verde, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Iceland, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Tonga and Trinidad and Tobago. Ten of Africa's 54 independent countries are entirely in the Western Hemisphere: the largest is Mauritania at 1,030,000 km2. Portugal is the only mainland European country entirely in the Western Hemisphere, and Spain has the most mainland European land in the Western Hemisphere. The highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere is Aconcagua, in the Andes of Argentina, at 6,960.8 metres (22,837 feet). The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere is One World Trade Center, in New York City, at 1,776 feet (541.3 m).

Reader's Guide

The Western Hemisphere's definition is sometimes controversial, since it conflicts with constructs that correlate it with the New World or the Americas. Under the accepted geographical definition, historical events such as The Great Fire of London (51.51°N 0.09°W) are considered to have occurred in the Western Hemisphere, despite not being events associated with the history of the Americas. Temperature records: the highest temperature ever recorded on earth is 56.7°C (134°F) in Death Valley, California on July 10, 1913, also the highest in the Northern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere. Outside of Antarctica, the lowest temperature ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere was −69.6°C (−93.3°F) at the Klinck Automatic Weather Station in Greenland on December 22, 1991, also the lowest in the Northern Hemisphere. In the fauna of the Americas, distinct evolutionary lineages evolved in geographic isolation, including xenarthrans (anteaters, armadillos, sloths), New World monkeys, hummingbirds (over 300 species), and New World vultures. Human settlement: modern humans reached West Africa (Ivory Coast, Senegal) roughly 150,000 years ago, the Americas roughly 15,000 years ago, and Iceland and the Faroe Islands over 1,000 years ago. Some areas were uninhabited before the Age of Discovery, including Ascension Island, Cape Verde, the Galápagos Islands, and Saint Helena.

Did You Know?

• The center of the Western Hemisphere is in the Pacific Ocean at the intersection of the 90th meridian west and the Equator, near Genovesa Island.
• Fifteen independent countries entirely in the Western Hemisphere have no land borders to other countries, including Iceland, Samoa, and Tonga.
• The highest temperature ever recorded on earth, 56.7°C (134°F), occurred in Death Valley, California, in the Western Hemisphere.
• Outside Antarctica, the lowest temperature in the Western Hemisphere was −69.6°C (−93.3°F) in Greenland on December 22, 1991.
• The entire hummingbird family, over 300 species, exists naturally only in the Americas, which are part of the Western Hemisphere.