The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term[citation needed] for the half of the Earth that lies west of the IERS Reference Meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the Antimeridian (the International Date Line), the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.
In this sense, the Western Hemisphere consists of the western portions of Europe and Africa, the Americas, the easternmost tip of Russia, numerous territories in Oceania, and a portion of Antarctica, while excluding some of the Aleutian Islands to the southwest of the Alaskan mainland.
The term is, however, often also used in political rhetoric to mean only the Americas (or the New World) and adjacent waters, while excluding all other territories in the geographical western hemisphere; thus, it is sometimes also referred to as the American hemisphere.
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term[citation needed] for the half of the Earth that lies west of the IERS Reference Meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the Antimeridian (the International Date Line), the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.
In this sense, the Western Hemisphere consists of the western portions of Europe and Africa, the Americas, the easternmost tip of Russia, numerous territories in Oceania, and a portion of Antarctica, while excluding some of the Aleutian Islands to the southwest of the Alaskan mainland.
The term is, however, often also used in political rhetoric to mean only the Americas (or the New World) and adjacent waters, while excluding all other territories in the geographical western hemisphere; thus, it is sometimes also referred to as the American hemisphere.