ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

108th meridian west

Okay, imagine you are playing a game of tag with your friends in your neighborhood. You all agree that the edge of your neighborhood is a big, long line that stretches from one end to the other. You decide to call this line the 108th meridian west.

Now, to understand what a meridian is, think of a big orange. You know how an orange is divided into sections? Well, the Earth is a bit like that too. It's divided into imaginary lines that go from the North Pole all the way down to the South Pole. These lines are called meridians, and they help us measure where we are on Earth.

The 108th meridian west is one of these imaginary lines. It starts at the North Pole, travels all the way down to the South Pole, and passes through some places on its way. This particular meridian passes through the western part of the Earth, which is why it's called the 108th meridian west.

If you were standing right on this meridian, you would know that you are exactly 108 meridians west of the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is the line that runs through Greenwich, England and is considered the starting point for measuring distances on Earth.

So, if you were playing tag and your friend said they are at a point on the 108th meridian west, you would know they are about 108 meridians away from the starting line. It's like playing a game and your friend saying they are 108 steps away from a certain spot.

The 108th meridian west has some cool places that it passes through. For example, it goes through Mexico, which is a country in North America. It also passes through some states in the United States, like Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado.

So, the 108th meridian west is just an imaginary line that helps us measure distances on Earth, and it happens to go through some interesting places along the way!