tropic of Capricorn
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n.
The parallel of latitude 23°27′ south of the equator, the southern boundary of the Torrid Zone, and the most southerly latitude at which the sun can shine directly overhead.
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The parallel of latitude approximately 23½°(23.45°)south of the Equator. It was named for the constellation Capricornus (the goat), for astronomical reasons which no longer prevail.
Because the Earth, in its revolution around the Sun, has its axis inclined 23½° from the vertical to the plane of the ecliptic, the Tropic of Capricorn marks the southern limit of the zenithal position of the Sun. Thus, on December 22 (Southern Hemisphere summer, but northern winter solstice) the Sun, at noon, is 90° above the horizon.
The Tropic of Capricorn is the southern boundary of the equatorial zone referred to as the tropics, which lies between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. See also Mathematical geography; Solstice; Tropic of Cancer.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Tropic of Capricorn |
Tropic of Capricorn, parallel of latitude at 23°30′ south of the equator; it is the southern boundary of the tropics. This parallel marks the farthest point south at which the sun can be seen directly overhead at noon; south of the parallel the sun appears less than 90° from the northern horizon at any day of the year. The sun reaches its vertical position over the Tropic of Capricorn at about Dec. 22, the summer solstice for the Southern Hemisphere. The term Capricorn comes from the Latin words caper [goat] and cornu [horn] and is the name given to one of the 12 constellations in the zodiac.
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Coordinates: 23°26′22″S 0°0′0″W / 23.43944°S 0°E
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- For the novel by Henry Miller, see Tropic of Capricorn (novel).
The Tropic of Capricorn, or Southern tropic, is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It lies 23° 26′ 22″ south of the equator, and marks the most southerly latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon. This event occurs at the December solstice, when the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun to its maximum extent.
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Geography
The northern hemisphere equivalent of the Tropic of Capricorn is the Tropic of Cancer. Latitudes south of the Tropic of Capricorn are in the Southern Temperate Zone. The region north of the Tropic of Capricorn and south of the Tropic of Cancer is known as the tropics.
The position of the Tropic of Capricorn is not fixed, but rather it varies in a complex manner over time; see under circles of latitude for information.
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Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the Tropic of Capricorn passes through:
Places located along the Tropic of Capricorn
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The following cities and landmarks are either located near the Tropic of Capricorn, or pass through it.
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
- Argentina
- Australia
- Alice Springs, Northern Territory
- Emerald, Queensland
- Gibson Desert, Western Australia
- Great Dividing Range, Queensland
- Lake Disappointment, Western Australia
- Rockhampton, Queensland
- Longreach, Queensland
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Itaquaquecetuba
- Mogi das Cruzes
- Maringá
- São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport
- São Paulo
- Sorocaba
- Ubatuba
- Chile
- Madagascar
- Mozambique
- Inhambane city
- Namibia
- Paraguay
- South Africa
Name
The Tropic of Capricorn is so named because about 2,000 years ago the sun was entering the constellation Capricornus (capricorn is Latin for goat horn) at the December solstice. In modern times the sun appears in the constellation Sagittarius during this time. The change is due to precession of the equinoxes. The word "tropic" itself comes from the Greek tropos, meaning turn, referring to the fact that the sun appears to "turn back" at the solstices.
Cultural significance
In India, the day of sun entering the zodiacal belt Capricorn is celebrated as Makara Sankranti festival. Tropic of Capricorn is called Makara Vrutta in Indian languages.
See also
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| Translations: Tropic of Capricorn |
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 | south temperate zone (geography) |
| Torrid Zone (latitude zone of the earth) |
| Miller, Henry Valentine (American writer) |
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Sci-Tech Encyclopedia. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
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| Geography. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tropic of Capricorn". Read more |
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| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- south temperate zone (geography)
- Torrid Zone (latitude zone of the earth)
- Miller, Henry Valentine (American writer)
- Temperate Zone (intermediate latitude zones of the earth)
- subtropical
- Tropic of Cancer (physical geography, geomorphology)
- solstice
- tropics
- Australian Ark: North of Capricorn (1987 Nature Film)
- Capricornus
- Henry Miller Odyssey (1974 Film)
- Tropic (1979 TV Series)
- Abel Janszoon Tasman (Dutch explorer)
- tropical
