A traveler going eastwards gains time from Greenwich until he reaches the meridian 180°E, when he will be 12 hours ahead of G.M.T.
Similarly, in going westwards, he loses 12 hours when he reaches 180°W. There is thus a total difference of 24 hours or a whole day between the two sides of the 180° meridian.
This is the International Date Line where the date changes by exactly one day when it is crossed. A traveler crossing the date line from east to west loses a day and while crossing the dateline from west to east he gains a day.
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