Circles of latitude
Following are circles of latitude between the 15th parallel north and the 20th parallel north :
16th parallel north [ edit ]
The 16th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 16 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane . It crosses Africa , Asia , the Indian Ocean , the Pacific Ocean , Central America , the Caribbean , and the Atlantic Ocean .
At this latitude the sun is visible for 13 hours, 5 minutes during the summer solstice and 11 hours, 11 minutes during the winter solstice .[ 1]
After World War II , the parallel divided Vietnam into Chinese military administration in the north and the British in the south (See Timeline of World War II (1945) and War in Vietnam (1945-1946) ).
In the Chadian–Libyan conflict , from 1984 the parallel, known as the "Red Line", delineated areas controlled by opposing combatants. Previously the Red Line had been the 15th parallel north . (See also Operation Manta .)
Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 16° north passes through:
17th parallel north [ edit ]
The 17th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 17 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane . It crosses Africa , Asia , the Indian Ocean , the Pacific Ocean , Central America , the Caribbean , and the Atlantic Ocean . The parallel is particularly significant in the history of Vietnam .
At this latitude the sun is visible for 13 hours, 9 minutes during the summer solstice and 11 hours, 7 minutes during the winter solstice .[ 2]
The Seventeenth parallel (Vietnamese : vĩ tuyến 17 ) was the provisional military demarcation line between North and South Vietnam established by the Geneva Accords of 1954 . The demarcation line did not exactly coincide with the 17th parallel but ran south of it, approximately along the Bến Hải River in Quảng Trị Province to the village of Bo Ho Su and from there due west to the Laos –Vietnam border.
In 1976 the demarcation line was made irrelevant as Vietnam was unified following the withdrawal of American forces and the surrender of the South Vietnamese government.
Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 17° north passes through:
18th parallel north [ edit ]
The 18th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 18 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane . It crosses Africa , Asia , the Indian Ocean , the Pacific Ocean , Central America , the Caribbean , and the Atlantic Ocean .
At this latitude the sun is visible for 13 hours, 13 minutes during the summer solstice and 11 hours, 3 minutes during the winter solstice .[ 3]
Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 18° north passes through:
Coordinates
Country, territory or sea
Notes
18°0′N 0°0′E / 18.000°N 0.000°E / 18.000; 0.000 (Prime Meridian )
Mali
18°0′N 4°14′E / 18.000°N 4.233°E / 18.000; 4.233 (Niger )
Niger
18°0′N 15°33′E / 18.000°N 15.550°E / 18.000; 15.550 (Chad )
Chad
18°0′N 24°0′E / 18.000°N 24.000°E / 18.000; 24.000 (Sudan )
Sudan
18°0′N 38°34′E / 18.000°N 38.567°E / 18.000; 38.567 (Eritrea )
Eritrea
For about 1 km
18°0′N 38°34′E / 18.000°N 38.567°E / 18.000; 38.567 (Red Sea )
Indian Ocean
Red Sea
18°0′N 41°38′E / 18.000°N 41.633°E / 18.000; 41.633 (Saudi Arabia )
Saudi Arabia
18°0′N 48°7′E / 18.000°N 48.117°E / 18.000; 48.117 (Yemen )
Yemen
18°0′N 52°28′E / 18.000°N 52.467°E / 18.000; 52.467 (Oman )
Oman
18°0′N 56°24′E / 18.000°N 56.400°E / 18.000; 56.400 (Indian Ocean )
Indian Ocean
Arabian Sea
18°0′N 73°1′E / 18.000°N 73.017°E / 18.000; 73.017 (India )
India
Maharashtra Karnataka Andhra Pradesh Chhattisgarh Orissa Telangana
18°0′N 83°34′E / 18.000°N 83.567°E / 18.000; 83.567 (Indian Ocean )
Indian Ocean
Bay of Bengal
18°0′N 94°28′E / 18.000°N 94.467°E / 18.000; 94.467 (Myanmar )
Myanmar (Burma)
18°0′N 97°44′E / 18.000°N 97.733°E / 18.000; 97.733 (Thailand )
Thailand
18°0′N 101°1′E / 18.000°N 101.017°E / 18.000; 101.017 (Laos )
Laos
18°0′N 101°45′E / 18.000°N 101.750°E / 18.000; 101.750 (Thailand )
Thailand
18°0′N 102°24′E / 18.000°N 102.400°E / 18.000; 102.400 (Laos )
Laos
Passing just north of Vientiane
18°0′N 103°3′E / 18.000°N 103.050°E / 18.000; 103.050 (Thailand )
Thailand
18°0′N 104°12′E / 18.000°N 104.200°E / 18.000; 104.200 (Laos )
Laos
18°0′N 105°37′E / 18.000°N 105.617°E / 18.000; 105.617 (Vietnam )
Vietnam
18°0′N 106°28′E / 18.000°N 106.467°E / 18.000; 106.467 (South China Sea )
Pacific Ocean
Passing just south of the island of Hainan , People's Republic of China , South China Sea
18°0′N 120°30′E / 18.000°N 120.500°E / 18.000; 120.500 (Philippines )
Philippines
Island of Luzon
18°0′N 122°11′E / 18.000°N 122.183°E / 18.000; 122.183 (Pacific Ocean )
Pacific Ocean
Philippine Sea Passing just south of Pagan Island , Northern Mariana Islands into an unnamed part of the Ocean
18°0′N 102°27′W / 18.000°N 102.450°W / 18.000; -102.450 (Mexico )
Mexico
18°0′N 88°46′W / 18.000°N 88.767°W / 18.000; -88.767 (Belize )
Belize
18°0′N 88°8′W / 18.000°N 88.133°W / 18.000; -88.133 (Chetumal Bay )
Atlantic Ocean
Chetumal Bay
18°0′N 87°58′W / 18.000°N 87.967°W / 18.000; -87.967 (Belize )
Belize
Ambergris Caye
18°0′N 87°55′W / 18.000°N 87.917°W / 18.000; -87.917 (Caribbean Sea )
Atlantic Ocean
Caribbean Sea
18°0′N 77°50′W / 18.000°N 77.833°W / 18.000; -77.833 (Jamaica )
Jamaica
Passing through Kingston
18°0′N 76°15′W / 18.000°N 76.250°W / 18.000; -76.250 (Caribbean Sea )
Atlantic Ocean
Passing just south of the Tiburon Peninsula , Haiti , Caribbean Sea
18°0′N 71°42′W / 18.000°N 71.700°W / 18.000; -71.700 (Dominican Republic )
Dominican Republic
18°0′N 71°9′W / 18.000°N 71.150°W / 18.000; -71.150 (Caribbean Sea )
Atlantic Ocean
Caribbean Sea Passing just south of Saona Island , Dominican Republic Passing just south of Isla Mona , Puerto Rico
18°0′N 67°12′W / 18.000°N 67.200°W / 18.000; -67.200 (Puerto Rico )
Puerto Rico
18°0′N 65°52′W / 18.000°N 65.867°W / 18.000; -65.867 (Caribbean Sea )
Atlantic Ocean
Caribbean Sea Passing just south of Isla de Vieques , Puerto Rico Passing between the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix , United States Virgin Islands Passing just south of Sint Maarten
18°0′N 63°0′W / 18.000°N 63.000°W / 18.000; -63.000 (Atlantic Ocean )
Atlantic Ocean
Passing just north of Saint Barthélemy
18°0′N 16°1′W / 18.000°N 16.017°W / 18.000; -16.017 (Mauritania )
Mauritania
Passing just south of Nouakchott
18°0′N 5°46′W / 18.000°N 5.767°W / 18.000; -5.767 (Mali )
Mali
19th parallel north [ edit ]
The 19th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 19 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane . It crosses Africa , Asia , the Indian Ocean , the Pacific Ocean , North America , the Caribbean , and the Atlantic Ocean .
At this latitude the sun is visible for 13 hours, 17 minutes during the summer solstice and 10 hours, 59 minutes during the winter solstice .[ 4]
Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 19° north passes through:
20th parallel north [ edit ]
In Africa , the parallel defines part of the border between Libya and Sudan .
The 20th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 20 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane . It crosses Africa , Asia , the Indian Ocean , the Pacific Ocean , North America , the Caribbean , and the Atlantic Ocean .
The parallel defines part of the border between Libya and Sudan .[ 5] Within Sudan it defines the border between the Northern and North Darfur states.
At this latitude the sun is visible for 13 hours, 21 minutes during the summer solstice and 10 hours, 55 minutes during the winter solstice .[ 6]
On 21 June, the maximum altitude of the sun is 93.44 degrees and 46.56 degrees on 21 December. In this case an angle larger than 90° means that the culmination takes place at a maximum altitude of 86.56 degrees in the opposite cardinal direction. In the northern torrid zone, the Sun remains in the south during winter, but can reach over the zenith to the north in midsummer.
Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 20° north passes through: