Kilometre zero

The kilometre zero point for highways is at Tiananmen Square, just outside the Zhengyangmen Gate. It is marked with a plaque in the ground, with the four cardinal points, four animals, and "Zero Point of Highways, China" in English and Chinese.

Cuba

Denmark

Traditionally, distances to

Kilometre zero in

Kilometre zero in Ethiopia is in Menelik II Square, Addis Ababa, in front of St. George's Cathedral; it is the point from which all Ethiopian highway distances are measured. The point was designated by Emperor Haile Selassie in 1930.

Finland

Kilometre zero in Finland is at the Erottaja square in central Helsinki.

France

Point zero of the French

Initially, the origin point of all Prussian roads leading to and from the capital Berlin was at Dönhoff-Platz in the city centre (1730–1875) and in 1975 a reconstructed milestone was placed in front of the Spittelkolonnaden [de] at Marion-Gräfin-Dönhoff-Platz. (Coordinates: 52°30′39″N 13°23′56″E / 52.5108°N 13.3990°E / 52.5108; 13.3990.)

Great Britain

In the center of Charing Cross in London, there is a plaque bearing the inscription:

On the site now occupied by the statue of King Charles I was erected the original Queen Eleanor's Cross, a replica of which stands in front of Charing Cross station. Mileages from London are measured from the site of the original cross.

In Scotland, distances from Edinburgh are measured from a bollard in front of the GPO building in Princes Street.

For most mainline railways, miles are measured from the associated London terminal station.

The 0 km point for the whole London Underground network is located at Ongar railway station which is actually no longer part of the network and is only operated as part of a heritage railway.

See also:

• London Stone — possibly the Roman zero point
• Hicks Hall — traditionally the start of the Great North Road
• St Mary-le-Bow — the church traditionally the zero point of the road to Lewes in Sussex.

Greece

In Ancient Greece, distances were measured from the Altar of the Twelve Gods in the ancient agora of Athens. So, that altar can be considered the first kilometre zero in human history.

Nowadays, the kilometre zero for Greek highways is the National Observatory of Athens.

Guatemala

The kilometre zero is located at the National Palace in Guatemala City. The National Palace is also the residence for the Guatemalan president.

Hong Kong

Traditionally, milestones for Castle Peak Road, Tai Po Road and Clear Water Bay Road, the first three highways extending from the city centre in Kowloon to the rural areas, were all measured from the Star Ferry pier at Tsim Sha Tsui. There are still milestones preserved today but there is no Milestone 0.

However, modern highways in Hong Kong no longer use this system. Each trunk route has its own Km. 0 at one end.

Hungary

The Zero Kilometre Stone in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is marked by a monument, forming the number "zero". The starting point was initially reckoned from the threshold of the Buda Royal Palace, but it was taken down to the Széchenyi Chain Bridge when it was built in 1849.

The city of Kecskemét also has a zero kilometre stone on Kossuth Square.

India

In India, the Zero Mile Stone is a monument in the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra. The Zero Mile Stone was erected by the British Raj, and consists of four horses and a pillar made of sandstone. There is no verifiable evidence that it is a monument locating the geographical centre of colonial India in the city of Nagpur,^[9] or that the Zero Mile Stone was erected by the British to use this point to measure all the distances.^[10] Incidentally, the city of Nagpur lies geographically center to all the four major metros of India, viz. Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi.

In

Kilometre zero of Indonesia is marked by the monument in Weh Island in Aceh, the northernmost and westernmost point of Indonesia.^[13][14][15] It is one of the rare cases where the national kilometre zero is not at the capital (for this case, Jakarta). Previously it was little further north, in Rondo Island. But due to access difficulty, it was decided to move it to Weh Island.

Iran

In Iran, the Azadi Tower in its capital Tehran serves as the kilometre zero.

Ireland

In Ireland, distances from its capital Dublin are measured from the General Post Office on the city's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street.

Israel

In Jerusalem, its kilometre zero or zero point is at Jaffa Gate. Some say it is at The Garden Tomb. However, there is no precise marker, as of today. However, the Railway system uses a different Kilometer zero point at the former Haifa East railway station.

Italy

The Italian kilometre zero is on the top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome.

Japan

Kilometre zero in Japan (日本国道路元標, Nipponkoku Dōro Genpyō) is on the middle of Nihonbashi bridge in Tokyo, the capital city of Japan. Tokyo Station is considered the originating point of the national railway network and has several posts and monuments indicating kilometre zero for lines originating from the station.

Kyrgyzstan

The kilometer zero in Kyrgyzstan is located in its capital Bishkek.

Madagascar

Kilometre zero for the major roads radiating from Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, is on the square in front of the Soarano Railway Station.

Malaysia

Kilometre zero for roads and highways in Peninsular Malaysia is located in front of Johor Bahru General Post Office.^[16] It is one of the rare cases where the national kilometre zero is not at the capital (in this case, Kuala Lumpur) due to the fact that the distances for three major backbone routes (Federal Routes 1, 3 and 5) are measured from Johor Bahru, where they meet. In addition, Kuala Lumpur has its own Zero Mile marker as a point of reference from the capital city.

In Sarawak, kilometre zero of Pan Borneo Highway started in Telok Melano. In Sabah, the starting point for Kota Kinabalu City's kilometre zero began in front of the Sabah Tourism Board building, which used to be a post office during the British colonial era.

Mexico

Kilometre zero of Mexico is located next to the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City.^[17]

North Korea

The North Korean kilometre zero is at

Kilometre zero for roads from Oslo, the capital of Norway, is at the address Observatoriegaten 1. Kilometre zero for most railways in Norway is 0.27 kilometres (0.17 mi) westwards into the Oslo Tunnel.

Panama

The

The Pakistani zero point is the Zero Point Interchange in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It is the busiest interchange of Islamabad.

Philippines

Current Philippine Kilometer Zero in Rizal Park, Manila

Old Philippine Kilometer Zero that was replaced, also in Rizal Park

A small obelisk located near

For all the other islands, kilometer zero is located at the front of provincial capitol buildings or municipal halls, ports, town centers, or major junctions.[19] For instance, in Cebu, it is in front of the Cebu Provincial Capitol,^[21] while in Panay, it is the Arroyo Fountain in front of the Casa Real de Iloilo.^[22] Three islands of Batanes also have their respective kilometers zero.^[23] Negros Oriental and Occidental each have their respective kilometer zero markers, even though they are both within the island of Negros.^[24] Baguio also has its kilometer zero as a reference point to and from the city.^[25]

Prior to World War II, the entire archipelago only had one kilometer zero – the cross atop the media naranja dome crossing of the Manila Cathedral.

Poland

Portugal

Portugal does not have a physical kilometre zero marker, but distances in origin-destinations matrices involving the capital Lisbon use the Rossio square as kilometre zero.

Romania

Romania's kilometre zero is marked by a monument next to Saint George's Church in Bucharest, which was built in 1938.

The distances from Bucharest to other cities in Romania are measured from this monument. It is divided into eight sections, each representing a Romanian historical province:

The bronze plaque marking Russia's kilometre zero is in Moscow, just in front of the Iberian Chapel, in a short passage connecting Red Square with Manege Square and flanked by the State Historical Museum and the State Duma.

Singapore

Kilometre zero in Singapore is located at the entrance of

Slovakia

Slovakia has its kilometre zero in Bratislava, its capital, under Michael's Gate in the Michalská veža (St. Michael's tower).

South Korea

Spain

Spain has its kilometre zero at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, in front of the Royal House of the Post Office.

A plaque on the ground marks the official time in Spain, according to an urban legend. The plaque that marks this point was rotated 180 degrees by mistake in 2002 during a renovation of the square. This was corrected in 2009. The clock of the Post Office building marks the official time for Madrid, synchronized with Spanish ROA Time.

Sri Lanka

In

Sweden

In

In Switzerland, the federal railway network's Kilometre Null is in Olten. It was made in the 19th century to mark the point from where the Swiss railway system was measured. Because of the complex and dense manner in which the Swiss railway system has since grown, and continues to grow, it is no longer used. There is a mark at Zürich Main Station which is a little outside the present end of the tracks and used by some mainlines.

Taiwan (Republic of China)

The crossroad of

Ukraine

Kilometre zero for Ukraine, called "The Winged Globe", is at Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv. (Coordinates: 50°27′00″N 30°31′24″E / 50.4501°N 30.5234°E / 50.4501; 30.5234.)

United Kingdom

See § Great Britain

United States

The metric system is not the common system in the United States, but mile markers for most major roads begin at either their western or southern terminus. The mile-marking systems are generally within individual states; the mile count starts over when a state boundary is crossed.

Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the original architect of Washington, D.C., proposed an otherwise unnamed reference marker in the form of a pole that was never built, intended to be one mile (1.6 km) east of the Capitol.

Although not used for measurement on U.S. roads outside the city of Washington, D.C., a Zero Milestone near the White House was proposed in 1919 and a permanent marker placed in 1923 by the federal government, funded by the Good Roads Movement. However, the Capitol building is used as the zero point for the city including the nation.

In New York City, Columbus Circle, at the southwest corner of Central Park, is the traditional point from which all official distances are measured,^[27] although Google Maps uses New York City Hall for the purpose.^[28] Others consider Times Square as a marker.

In the

In popular myth and some older sources, the Boston Stone is said to have been the zero marker for distances from Boston, but it was not.

Perhaps the most well-known 'Mile Zero' in the US, and the one that has spawned the creation of a popular bumper sticker, is in Key West, Florida, at the southern terminus of U.S. Route 1.

Uruguay

Uruguay has a Kilómetro Cero for the national routes at the Monument to Peace, in Plaza de Cagancha of the city of Montevideo.^[30]

A Kilómetro Cero has been established for the Uruguay River by the Treaty of Río Uruguay in 1961 on the parallel passing the area, Punta Gorda in the Colonia Department, south of Nueva Palmira.

Historical

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire had an arched building, the Milion of Constantinople, as the starting-place for the measurement of distances for all the roads leading to the other cities. In the 1960s, some fragments were discovered and erected in its original location, now in the district of Eminönü, Istanbul, Turkey.

See also

• Confluence point
• Datum (geodesy)
• London Stone
• Milestone
• Milliarium Aureum
• Zero Milestone
• Category:Geodetic datums

References