If you travelled directly south from London until you reached a foreign country, which one would it be?

It may seem counterintuitive, but a journey heading due south from the United Kingdom's capital will have you crossing the English Channel and arriving on the coast of Normandy. This is a simple but fascinating quirk of geography based on longitude. London famously sits on the Prime Meridian, the line designated as 0° longitude that serves as the global reference point for time and distance.

Because a large portion of western France lies on or very near this same line of longitude, it sits directly south of southern England. Many people incorrectly assume Spain would be the destination, picturing it as being directly "below" the UK on a standard map. However, the Iberian Peninsula is positioned significantly further to the west.

A true southerly path from London would see a traveller pass well to the east of Spain and Portugal entirely. Instead, after a relatively short trip across the water—known to the French as La Manche ("the sleeve")—your first encounter with a new nation's soil would be with the UK's closest continental neighbour.