{"id":93134,"date":"2026-03-16T18:02:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T12:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=93134"},"modified":"2026-03-16T18:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T12:32:17","slug":"tropic-of-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/tropic-of-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Tropic of Cancer, Meaning, Location, Countries, Indian States"},"content":{"rendered":"

The <\/span>Tropic of Cancer<\/b> is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark important positions on the Earth. It lies at approximately <\/span>23\u00b026\u2032 North latitude<\/b> and represents the <\/span>northernmost point where the Sun can appear directly overhead at noon<\/b>. This phenomenon occurs once every year during the <\/span>June Solstice<\/b>, around <\/span>21 June<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tropic of Cancer divides the Earth into two major parts: the <\/span>tropical region<\/b> and the <\/span>subtropical region<\/b> of the Northern Hemisphere. Countries located along this line experience a warm climate and significant seasonal changes in daylight.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the Tropic of Cancer?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Tropic of Cancer is an imaginary line drawn around the Earth parallel to the Equator. It marks the <\/span>northern boundary of the tropical zone<\/b>. At this latitude, the Sun is directly overhead at noon once a year during the June solstice.<\/span><\/p>\n

The name \u201cCancer\u201d comes from the zodiac constellation <\/span>Cancer<\/b>, where the Sun appeared thousands of years ago during the solstice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Countries Through Which the Tropic of Cancer Passes<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Tropic of Cancer passes through 17 countries across three continents: North America, Africa, and Asia. These countries experience high solar radiation and warm climatic conditions due to their location near the tropical belt.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Countries Through Which the Tropic of Cancer Passes<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Continent<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Countries<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

North America<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Mexico, Bahamas<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Africa<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, Niger, Libya, Egypt<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Asia<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Taiwan<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

States of India through which Tropic of Cancer Passes<\/b><\/h2>\n

The <\/span>Tropic of Cancer<\/b> passes almost through the middle of India and divides the country into tropical and subtropical regions. It crosses <\/span>eight Indian states<\/b>, starting from Gujarat in the west and moving towards the northeast. These states are <\/span>Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Climatic Variations Along the Latitude of the Tropic of Cancer<\/b><\/h2>\n

The <\/span>Tropic of Cancer<\/b> passes through different continents, so the climate along this latitude varies significantly. Due to differences in <\/span>topography, ocean currents<\/a>, pressure systems, and seasonal winds<\/b>, regions along the Tropic of Cancer experience a variety of climate types, ranging from hot deserts to monsoon climates.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Arid Desert Climate<\/b><\/h3>\n

In <\/span>North Africa and parts of the Middle East<\/b>, the Tropic of Cancer passes through extremely dry regions. These areas lie under <\/span>subtropical high-pressure belts<\/b>, which prevent cloud formation and rainfall. As a result, they experience very hot days, low humidity, and minimal rainfall. Major examples include the <\/span>Sahara Desert<\/b> and the <\/span>Arabian Desert<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also Read: Pressure Belts of Earth<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Tropical Monsoon Climate<\/b><\/h3>\n

In <\/span>South and Southeast Asia<\/b>, the climate along the Tropic of Cancer is strongly influenced by monsoon winds. Countries such as <\/span>India<\/b>, <\/span>Bangladesh<\/b>, and <\/span>Myanmar<\/b> receive <\/span>heavy seasonal rainfall during the monsoon season<\/a><\/b>. This rainfall supports agriculture and contributes to the cultivation of crops like rice, tea, and sugarcane.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Temperate Climate Regions<\/b><\/h3>\n

Some regions along the Tropic of Cancer experience relatively <\/span>moderate or temperate climatic conditions<\/b> due to altitude and local geography. Parts of <\/span>China<\/b> and the <\/span>Mexican highlands in Mexico<\/b> have milder temperatures compared to desert regions. These areas typically experience <\/span>distinct wet and dry seasons<\/b>, supporting diverse vegetation and agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tropic of Cancer is an important latitude at 23\u00b026\u2032 N where Sun appears directly overhead during the June Solstice. Learn its location, countries, Indian states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":93067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[4935,5102],"class_list":{"0":"post-93134","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-studies","8":"tag-geography","9":"tag-geography-notes","10":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93134"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93149,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93134\/revisions\/93149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}