The date line, also called the International Date Line, is a boundary from which each calendar day starts. Areas to the west of the date line are one calendar day ahead of areas to the east.

The date line runs from the North Pole to the South Pole through the Pacific Ocean. It is not a straight line, however. The date line curves around several landmasses. For example, it curves around the islands that make up the nation of Kiribati, so that all regions of the country remain on the same day. The date line makes a big detour between Asia and North America in the Bering Strait. Cape Dezhnev, Russia, is always a day ahead of Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, even though the landmasses are less than 80 kilometers (50 miles) apart.

The date line, which roughly follows the 180-degree meridian, is about halfway around the globe from the prime meridian, which measures 0-degrees longitude.