Tropic of Capricorn
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Coordinates: 23°26′22″S 0°0′0″W / 23.43944°S 0°E
- For the novel by Henry Miller, see Tropic of Capricorn (novel).
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Look up tropic of capricorn in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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.
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 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.
The position of the Tropic of Capricorn is not fixed, but varies in a complex manner over time; see under circles of latitude for information.
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[edit] Geography
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Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the Tropic of Capricorn passes through:
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Country, territory or sea Notes Atlantic Ocean 
Namibia
Botswana
South Africa
MozambiqueGaza
InhambaneIndian Ocean Mozambique Channel 
MadagascarToliara
FianarantsoaIndian Ocean 
AustraliaWestern Australia
Northern Territory
QueenslandPacific Ocean Coral Sea, passing just south of Cato Reef in Australia's Coral Sea Islands TerritoryPacific Ocean Passing just north of the Minerva Reefs ( 
Tonga), and just south of Tubuai (
French Polynesia)
ChileAntofagasta 
ArgentinaJujuy
Salta
Jujuy
Formosa
ParaguayBoquerón
Presidente Hayes
Concepción
San Pedro
Amambay
BrazilMato Grosso do Sul
Paraná
São PauloAtlantic Ocean
[edit] Places located along the Tropic of Capricorn
The following cities and landmarks are either located near the Tropic of Capricorn, or pass through it.
- Argentina
- Australia
- Alice Springs, Northern Territory
- Emerald, Queensland
- Gibson Desert, Western Australia
- Great Dividing Range, Queensland
- Lake Disappointment, Western Australia
- Rockhampton, Queensland
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Itaquaquecetuba
- Mogi das Cruzes
- Maringá
- São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport
- São Paulo
- Sorocaba
- Ubatuba
- Chile
- Madagascar
- Namibia
- Paraguay
- South Africa
[edit] 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.
[edit] See also
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