Editing 503: Terminology

{{comic
| number    = 503
| date      = November 12, 2008
| title     = Terminology
| image     = terminology.png
| titletext = Also, is it just me, or do Japan and New Zealand look suspiciously similar?  Has anyone seen them at a party together?
}}

==Explanation==

This comic shows a map of the world. The X in the center, labeled "ME," indicates [[Randall]]'s approximate location in the U.S., and two arrows point west and east from it. The map uses a format, popular in America, that places the American continents centrally, therefore splitting Asia. The comic then shows Europe labeled "{{w|Western world|The West}}" as it is commonly referred to, despite being located to the ''east'' of Randall, and Asia similarly labeled "{{w|Eastern world|The East}}", despite being ''west'' of Randall. Randall is therefore annoyed with the common terms "the West" and "the East" referring to locations east and west of him respectively.

"The East" and "the West" were defined in geographical terms from the {{w|Borders of the continents#Europe and Asia|traditional boundary between Europe and Asia}}.  They were later expanded or (mis-)appropriated to include references to cultural, racial, political, and trade connections.  Another east-west division comes from zero {{w|longitude}} (the {{w|prime meridian}}): the {{w|Western Hemisphere}} and {{w|Eastern Hemisphere}} are defined in reference to it, and world maps are often centered on it.  The fact that the prime meridian runs precisely though the Greenwich Observatory, in London, is an artifact of the British Empire's dominance —and British exploration of the world— in the 1700s and 1800s. In particular, British astronomical tables (made by the {{w|Royal Observatory, Greenwich|Royal Observatory in Greenwich}}, London) were widely used to determine longitude all over the world.  The need for establishing a precise zero-longitude is one of the two technological necessities to make a {{w|sextant}} work as a tool to calculate accurate position for map making.

In short, "the East" and "the West" as terms in common usage refer to map coordinates and not to positions relative to where you are (The interpretation presented in the comic).  An America-centered map does not redefine "the East" or "the West" anymore than an [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__2Vhj2G5F68/TJEIpsuqUCI/AAAAAAAAAG0/r4qa6dHGkbM/s1600/blog.gif Australian up-side-down] {{w|reversed map}} redefines "the North" or "the South".   

The convention of orienting maps with north at the top and west at the left was started by the Greek geographer {{w|Ptolemy}}. In his work ''{{w|Geography (Ptolemy)|Geography}}'', he introduced the first coordinate system with latitude and longitude. Randall shows some other possible map orientations in [[977: Map Projections]].

The title text comments on the similarity in shape of New Zealand and Japan, and he suggests that one may in fact be the other in disguise, much like {{w|Clark Kent}} and {{w|Superman}}, as well as similar superhero alter ego pairs. The similarities between New Zealand and Japan are partly explained by the fact that both formed as volcanic island chains.

==Transcript==
:[Map of the world with North America centered. An "x" is placed near the east coast. Asia is labeled "The East" and Europe "The West."]
:"The East" <- West x (me) East -> "The West"

:[Caption below the frame:]
:This always bugged me.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Geography]]