The Place Where Every Direction Is North

There is exactly one place on Earth where you cannot walk west, east or south. All you can do is go north.

Lines of longitude are like the sections of an orange. They all meet at two points, and the South Pole is one of them. So from that spot, every possible step takes you north.

Time gets weird too

Every time zone meets at the poles, so you could walk through all 24 in a few seconds by circling the marker. Research stations simply choose a time zone that suits their supply flights. The US South Pole station keeps New Zealand time, because that is where its flights come from.

And so does a compass

A regular compass is not much help at either pole. It points toward the magnetic pole, which is in a different spot from the geographic one. Near the poles, travelers have to correct by a large amount or use GPS.

We think the idea is lovely enough to wear, so it is on a tee and a crewneck.