45th Parallel - Granite Monument - Richford, Vermont, US
Posted by: 
Vermontish
N 45° 00.012 W 072° 39.932
18T E 683991 N 4985623
Marker identifying the 45th Parallel
Waymark Code: WM75R1
Location: Vermont, United States
Date Posted: 09/06/2009
Views: 34
In the opinion of one who has toured the 45th, this is easily the most elaborate marker (erected by American Legion Post 12). To one who has looked into the history, it represents where the Canadian border would be if not for a cartographic error which established the border at its present and accepted location, a tad over a mile to the north.
The 45th is commonly described as the midpoint between the Equator and the North Pole. While it is true that latitude between the two is comprised of 90 degrees (making 45 the halfway mark), there's an issue involving solid geometry: Planet Earth is not a sphere. Rather, it is an oblate spheroid (simply put, the equatorial diameter is greater than the polar diameter), making the true midpoint in distance about 10 miles north of here, just above the village of Sutton, Quebec.
So let's call this the nominal midpoint, and I'll be satisfied that I don't live a mile closer to Canada.