<P> A prime meridian , based at the Royal Observatory , Greenwich , in London , was established by Sir George Airy in 1851 . By 1884 , over two - thirds of all ships and tonnage used it as the reference meridian on their charts and maps . In October of that year , at the behest of US President Chester A. Arthur , 41 delegates from 25 nations met in Washington , D.C. , United States , for the International Meridian Conference . This conference selected the meridian passing through Greenwich as the official prime meridian due to its popularity . However , France abstained from the vote , and French maps continued to use the Paris meridian for several decades . In the 18th century , London lexicographer Malachy Postlethwayt published his African maps showing the `` Meridian of London '' intersecting the Equator a few degrees west of the later meridian and Accra , Ghana . </P>
<P> A prime meridian , based at the Royal Observatory , Greenwich , in London , was established by Sir George Airy in 1851 . By 1884 , over two - thirds of all ships and tonnage used it as the reference meridian on their charts and maps . In October of that year , at the behest of US President Chester A. Arthur , 41 delegates from 25 nations met in Washington , D.C. , United States , for the International Meridian Conference . This conference selected the meridian passing through Greenwich as the official prime meridian due to its popularity . However , France abstained from the vote , and French maps continued to use the Paris meridian for several decades . In the 18th century , London lexicographer Malachy Postlethwayt published his African maps showing the `` Meridian of London '' intersecting the Equator a few degrees west of the later meridian and Accra , Ghana . </P>
why was greenwich chosen as the location for the prime meridian
why was greenwich chosen as the location for the prime meridian
due to its popularity
due to its popularity