RoyalJames Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 I wonder if anyone could clear out what prime meridians were used in the GAOP? Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I understand it like El Heirro / Ferro, the Canary Islands, was the most commonly used prime meridian. It was first used by the Spanish, as it was the most westerly known point. (The Portuguese used Madeira in a similar way.) Many countries had for a long time their own meridians, but in this period Holland also used El Heirro for some reason. I think even France used it, perhaps because the Dutch were the superior chart drawers? What did the British use? I know that Dutch charts were highly valued, but perhaps these were converted to an English system. I have seen suggestions of both London / Greenwich and Lizard Point, or did they use El Heirro too?
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