science

Kilometre zero

Kilometre zero is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kilometre zero rather than just read about it. In short: Kilometre zero (or km 0), also known as zero mile marker or zero milepost, is a particular location (usually in the nation's capital city) from which traveled distances are traditionally measured, as in distance markers. Historically, they were markers where drivers could set their odometers to follow the directions in early roaming guidebooks.

Key takeaways

Kilometre zero belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kilometre zero to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kilometre zero from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kilometre zero (or km 0), also known as zero mile marker or zero milepost, is a particular location (usually in the nation's capital city) from which traveled distances are traditionally measured, as in distance markers. Historically, they were markers where drivers could set their odometers to follow the directions in early roaming guidebooks. One such marker is the Milliarium Aureum ("Golden Milestone") of the Roman Empire, believed to be the origin for the maxim "All roads lead to Rome".

Countries

Argentina

Argentina marks kilometre zero with a monolith in Plaza Congreso in Buenos Aires. The work of the brothers Máximo and José Fioravanti, the structure was placed on the north side of Plaza Lorea on October 2, 1935; it was moved to its present location on May 18, 1944. An image of Our Lady of Luján (honored on the monolith as "the patron saint of the national road network") appears on the monolith's north face, a relief map of Argentina is on the south face, plaques in honour of José de San Martín are west, and on its eastern side, the date of the decree and the name of the relevant authorities.

Australia Highways in Australia are usually built and maintained by the states and territories. In the state of New South Wales, highway distances (mileages) were traditionally measured from a sandstone obelisk in Macquarie Place in Sydney, designed by Francis Greenway in 1818. The obelisk lists the distances to various locations in New South Wales at the time. For the railway, it is at platform 1 of Central station. The General Post Office building in Melbourne traditionally serves this purpose in Victoria. In Western Australia, road distances are measured from "Point Zero", which is by the old Treasury Building on the corner of Cathedral Avenue and St Georges Terrace in Perth, because this building once housed the Lands and Surveys Department.

Canada

The kilometer zero marker of the eastern origin of the Trans-Canada Highway is in St. John's, Newfoundland. Coordinates: 47°33′40″N 52°42′44″W Altitude: 14.02 m (46 ft) The western terminus of the Trans-Canada Highway in Victoria, British Columbia, is on the southern end of Vancouver Island. Mile zero of the Trans Canada Trail is adjacent to the Railway Coastal Museum in St. John's, Newfoundland. Coordinates: 47°33′14″N 52°42′50″W Altitude: 4.5 metres (15 ft) Mile zero for the Alaska Highway is in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Mile zero of the Old Cariboo Road is in Lillooet, British Columbia. This was the starting point of the Cariboo Gold Rush Trail, on which the communities 93 Mile House, 100 Mile House, and 150 Mile House are located. Coordinates: 50°41′29″N 121°56′15″W Altitude: 250 metres (820 ft) Mile zero for the Mackenzie Highway is in Grimshaw, Alberta. Coordinates: 56°11′30″N 117°36′37″W

Chile

All national distances from Santiago, the capital of Chile, originate at the Km. 0 plaque at the Plaza de Armas main square in its downtown. (Coordinates: 33.4378°S 70.6505°W / -33.4378; -70.6505.) Chile's Autopista Central – Eje Norte-Sur (the eastern segment of the Panamerican Highway that passes through Santiago) has its kilometre zero at the intersection with the Alameda del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins, the capital's main avenue. (Coordinates: 33.4462°S 70.6607°W / -33.4462; -70.6607.)

China

China Railway's kilometre zero is at the entrance to the Fengtai Yard on the Beijing–Guangzhou railway just outside its capital Beijing. This point was historically the start of the line; the marker is a simple concrete marker, with "0" painted on it. There is no ceremonial plaque. The kilometre zero point for highways is at Tiananmen Square, just outside the Zhengyangmen Gate. It is marked with a plaque in the ground, with the four cardinal points, four animals, and "Zero Point of Highways, China" in English and Chinese.

Cuba

Cuba's kilometre zero is in its capital Havana in El Capitolio. Embedded in the floor in the centre of the main hall is a replica 25 carats (5.0 g) diamond, which marks kilometre zero. The original diamond, said to have belonged to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and have been sold to the Cuban state by a Turkish merchant, was stolen on March 25, 1946, and mysteriously returned to the President, Ramón Grau San Martín, on June 2, 1946. It was replaced in El Capitolio by a replica in 1973.

Denmark

Traditionally, distances to Copenhagen, Denmark's capital, were measured to the old city gates. City Hall Square (old Vesterport) is the zero point for roads from south and west such as from Korsør or Rødby. For road from north such as from Helsingør or Hillerød, point zero is Østerport located on the North side of the inner city. Nørreport was used from Frederikssund, and Amagerport from Amager. There are old monuments at these locations. On railways distances are in general measured from Copenhagen Central Station.

Dominican Republic DR-1, DR-2, and DR-3 all depart from kilometre zero at Santo Domingo's Parque de Independencia.

Egypt

Kilometre zero in Cairo, Egypt is at the Attaba Square Post Office in 1st of Abdel Khaliq Sarwat Pasha Street.

Ethiopia Kilometre zero in Ethiopia is in Menelik II Square, Addis Ababa, in front of St. George's Cathedral; it is the point from which all Ethiopian highway distances are measured. The point was designated by Emperor Haile Selassie in 1930.

Finland

Kilometre zero in Finland is at the Erottaja square in central Helsinki.

France

Point zero of the French national highways is located in the city square of Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Paul II of Paris facing the main entrance of Notre-Dame with the medallion installed in 1924. (Coordinates: 48.8534°N 2.3488°E / 48.8534; 2.3488). It was established by King Louis XV in April 1769. A commemorative kilometre zero for the Liberty Road was erected in Sainte-Mère-Eglise, liberated by U.S. paratroopers on 6 June 1944.

Germany

Initially, the origin point of all Prussian roads leading to and from the capital Berlin was at Dönhoff-Platz in the city centre (1730–1875) and in 1975 a reconstructed milestone was placed in front of the Spittelkolonnaden at Marion-Gräfin-Dönhoff-Platz. (Coordinates: 52.5108°N 13.3990°E / 52.5108; 13.3990.)

Great Britain

In the centre of Charing Cross in London, there is a plaque bearing the inscription:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kilometre zero

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kilometre zero claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kilometre zero before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kilometre zero ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kilometre zero

In research: Kilometre zero appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kilometre zero in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kilometre zero is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Kilometre-zero markers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kilometre zero outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kilometre zero in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kilometre zero means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kilometre zero out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kilometre zero in simple terms?

Why does Kilometre zero matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kilometre zero?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kilometre zero.