How Many Countries Does the Tropic of Cancer Pass Through?
The Tropic of Cancer is one of the five major circles of latitude (imaginary lines around the Earth) that are often marked on maps of the Earth.
Tropic of Cancer is an imaginary line, at an angle of 23.50 degrees North from the Equator.
The Tropic of cancer passes through 17 countries, 3 continents and 6 water bodies.
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North America |
Bahamas (Archipelago), Mexico |
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Africa |
Egypt, Libya, Niger, Algeria, Mali, Western Sahara, Mauritania |
|
Asia |
Taiwan, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia |
|
Water Bodies |
Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Taiwan Strait, Red Sea, Gulf of Mexico |
The location of Tropic of Cancer is not fixed, but constantly changes because of a slight wobble in the Earth’s longitudinal alignment relative to the ecliptic, the plane in which the Earth orbits around the Sun. It shifts southwards at an approximate rate of half an arcsecond of latitude per year. The current position approx. is at 23°26′11.7″north of the Equator.”
The Tropic of Cancer, which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun to its maximum extent
North of the tropic are the subtropics and the North Temperate Zone. The equivalent line of latitude south of the Equator is called the Tropic of Capricorn, and the region between the two, centered on the Equator, is the tropics.
There are approximately 13 hours, 35 minutes of daylight during the summer solstice. During the winter solstice, there are 10 hours, 41 minutes of daylight.
