Tropic of Capricorn
Also known as the Tropic of Capricorn, Tropick of Capricorn, the Tropick of Capricorn
line of southernmost latitude at which the Sun can be directly overhead
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The Tropic of Capricorn is an imaginary line running around the Earth at the southernmost point where the Sun can shine directly overhead, located at about 23.5 degrees south of the equator. It marks the boundary of the tropical region in the Southern Hemisphere and is significant for understanding Earth's climate zones and seasonal patterns.
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World map showing the Tropic of Capricorn Relationship of Earth's axial tilt (ε) to the tropical and polar circles
The Tropic of Capricorn is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point at the December solstice. It is thus the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. Similarly, at the latitude of the Tropic of Capricorn, at solar midnight on the June solstice, the Sun will be 90 degrees below the horizon in all directions. The Tropic of Capricorn is one of the five major circles of latitude marked on maps of Earth. Its latitude is currently 23°26′09.1″ (or 23.43586°) south of the Equator, but it is very gradually moving northward, currently at the rate of 0.47 arcseconds, or 15 metres, per year.
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17 mapped locations