Bridget Burgess, age 13, of Hattesburg, Miss., for her question:
WHAT IS THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE?
The International Date Line is an imaginary line which marks the place on the earth's surface where each new calendar day begins. The date west of the line is one day later than the date to the east of the line.
Most of the International Date Line's distance follows the 180th meridian, which is exactly halfway around the world from Greenwich, a borough of London, England. Another imaginary line, this one called the "prime meridian," marks zero degrees longitude at Greenwich.
The people in New Zealand celebrate New Year's Day 22 hours ahead of the people in Hawaii, on the eastern side of the date line.