The equator gets 12 hours of sunlight every day of the year (this only refers to the actual equator, not the Tropics in general, though sunlight doesn't vary much at the low latitudes either).
The Equinoxes - Autumnal and Vernal (or Spring). The hours of daylight equal the hours of darkness.
At the equator, during the equinox, the length of daylight is approximately 12 hours. At the poles, during the equinox, there is no daylight as it is the period when the sun remains below the horizon for a full 24 hours.
No, along the equator, every day of the year has 12.1 hours of daylight. That is more than in the hemisphere where it's fall or winter but less than in the hemisphere where it's spring or summer.
That depends on your latitude. The higher your latitude, the less sunlight you get during winter. (And the more sunlight you get during summer!) Over the course of a year, it all averages out; you get 12 hours of sunlight per day, on average, no matter where you are.
On the first day of spring, the amount of daylight can vary depending on your location. In general, there are roughly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness on the spring equinox, which marks the official start of spring. However, this balance may shift slightly depending on your specific location and how close you are to the Earth's equator.
Your distance from the equator determines how many hours of sunlight you have on the solstices.
the Equator
Areas near the Equator
On the first day of spring you get 12 hours of each (it's the equinox). After that you get more daylight every day until the last day of spring ... how much more depends on how far from the equator you live.
On June 21, the North Pole experiences 24 hours of daylight due to the Earth's tilt towards the Sun. This means that the North Pole receives continuous sunlight and thus greater solar energy compared to the equator, which only receives sunlight during the day.
Unless you live on the equator, you have more hours of daylight during summer. On the equator, sunrise and sunset are 12 hours apart every day, all year long. During summer, your hemisphere is tilted toward the sun while the opposite hemisphere is tilted away from the sun and is having winter. See http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream//global/global_intro.htm for a diagram.
The Equinoxes - Autumnal and Vernal (or Spring). The hours of daylight equal the hours of darkness.
Day and night are equally long during the spring and autumn equinoxes. At these times, the Sun is directly above the equator, resulting in approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness worldwide.
North of the Antarctic Circle, geographies experience a mix of hours of sunlight and hours of no sunlight. At the Antarctic Circle, there is at least one 24-hour period of no sunrise/ sunset per year. At the Equator, these periods are about 12 hours each.
The number of hours of daylight on the first day of spring varies depending on the location. In general, the first day of spring, known as the spring equinox, has approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. This balance of day and night is a result of the sun's position over the equator.
Above the Arctic Circle, locations will experience at least one 24-hour period of sunlight per year as well as at least one 24-hour period with no sunrise at all. The tilt of the Earth means that when the noon Sun is directly overhead a point above the equator, the North Pole receives 24 hours of sunlight. When the noon Sun is directly overhead a point south of the equator, the North Pole gets no sunlight at all. The closer a point is to the North Pole, the more days it has per year with either 24 hours of sunlight or 24 hours of night. At the North Pole, there is a 6-month period of constant daylight and a 6-month period with no daylight. (However, it can get somewhat bright during daytime hours in early spring and late fall when the Sun is just slightly below the horizon.)
At the equator, during the equinox, the length of daylight is approximately 12 hours. At the poles, during the equinox, there is no daylight as it is the period when the sun remains below the horizon for a full 24 hours.