Where is Gilligan's Island located?
(an answer, an explanation, and an
ironic twist is offered below!)
| 140\260
160\260
180\260
160\260
140\260 |
20\260 |
|
|
20\260 |
| Where is Gilligan's Island located? According to Episode #18 (X - Marks the Spot), Gilligan's Island is located south-east of Hawaii at "approximately 140\260 Latitude and 10\260 Longitude." First, let me explain....... |
The castaways were in a panic, as their last connection to civilization had just been severed: the batteries in the radio had just died. Of course, the professor noticed that the spare batteries the Skipper had found were rechargeable, so he immediately had the castaways stir an electrolytic solution in coconut shells connected with wire strips and pennies in order to generate sufficient electrical current to charge the batteries. He then inserted the batteries into the radio as the group waited breathlessly. A cheer arose as they heard music playing, meaning that their radio was once again working! However, the music was then interrupted by the stern voice of the radio announcer, as the camera zoomed in on the radio (showing the dial tuned to somewhere around 980 to 1000 KHz on the AM dial):
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we interrupt this program to bring you a news bulletin: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, announces that at noon tomorrow, it will test a new missile designated "Operation Powder-keg." The warhead will be sent down to the South Sea missile range to an isolated area approximately 140\260 latitude and 10\260 longitude. More on Operation Powder-keg during our regularly scheduled newscast. We now return you to our studio."
After a few seconds of calculating, the Skipper said "I don't want anybody to panic, but ........... that's approximately our position here!!"
Now, the funny thing about that description is as follows: Latitude is described as "distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees" while longitude is described as "distance east or west on the earth's surface, measured in degrees from a certain meridian (a line running from the North Pole to the South Pole, the meridian through Greenwich, England, is usually used)." Thus, lines of latitude run east and west, while lines of longitude run north and south. This means that in order to have Gilligan's Island located in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, the location should have been given as "140\260 longitude and 10\260 latitude" instead of "140\260 latitude and 10\260 longitude." In fact, 140\260 latitude and 10\260 longitude does not even exist on the face of the earth!!
Back to: Trivia Contest
10263