The Tropic of Cancer was named because at the time of its naming, the sun was positioned in the Cancer constellation during the June solstice. Likewise, the Tropic of Capricorn was named because the sun was in the constellation Capricorn during the December solstice.
The Tropic of Cancer is significant to Earth's geography because, in addition to being the northernmost point where the sun's rays are directly overhead, it also marks the northern boundary of tropics, which is the region that extends from the equator north to the Tropic of Cancer and south to the Tropic of Capricorn.
Scratch the surface of the Florida Keys' vast history and unique geography. In the climatic sense, the keys belong to the tropics, even though the Tropic of Cancer lies 70 miles south of Key West. The Tropic of Cancer is located at 23.5 degrees north; Key West is located at 24.44 north, as shown in the map.
Tropic of Cancer passes through Mizoram, Tripura, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The tropic of cancer does not pass through Odisha among these Indian States. The tropic of cancer passes through 8 Indian states. They are Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Tripura, and Mizoram.
The Tropic of Capricorn runs through 10 countries: Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil.
The exact position of the Tropic of Cancer on the map is located at 23.5 degrees north latitude. The location of the Tropic of Cancer remains flexible. It shifts southwards at an approximate rate of half an arcsecond of latitude per year. The current position is at 23°26'14”.
The
Tropic of Capricorn (or the Southern
Tropic) is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point
on the December (or southern) solstice.
Around the world.
| Co-ordinates | Country, territory or ocean | Notes |
|---|
| 23°26′S 27°18′E | South Africa | Limpopo Province |
| 23°26′S 31°33′E | Mozambique | Gaza and Inhambane provinces |
The Tropic of Cancer's position is not fixed, but constantly changes because of a slight wobble in the Earth's longitudinal alignment relative to its orbit around the Sun. Earth's axial tilt varies over a 41,000-year period from 22.1 to 24.5 degrees and currently resides at about 23.4 degrees.
In India Tropic of Cancer passes through 8 states. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.
The parallel 40° north passes through the cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Columbus, Ohio; as well as northern suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana and Denver, Colorado and the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Definition of Tropic of Cancer. : the parallel of latitude that is approximately 23¹/2 degrees north of the equator and that is the northernmost latitude reached by the overhead sun.
