Geography of the Tropic of Cancer

Learn about the geographic location and significance of the tropic of cancer.

Tropic of Cancer
Morten Falch Sortland / Getty Images

The Tropic of Cancer is a line of latitude circling the Earth at approximately 23.5° north of the equator. It is the northernmost point on Earth where the sun's rays can appear directly overhead at local noon. It is also one of the five major degree measures or circles of latitude dividing the Earth (the others are the Tropic of Capricorn, the equator, the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle).

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.

Some of the Earth's largest countries and/or cities are at or near the Tropic of Cancer. For example, the line passes through United States' state of Hawaii, portions of Central America, northern Africa, and the Sahara Desert and is near Kolkata, India. It should also be noted that because of the greater amount of land in the Northern Hemisphere, the Tropic of Cancer passes through more cities than the equivalent Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere.

Naming of the Tropic of Cancer


Significance of the Tropic of Cancer

In addition to being used to divide the Earth into different parts for navigation and marking the northern boundary of the tropics, the Tropic of Cancer is also significant to the Earth's amount of solar insolation and the creation of seasons.



Click here to see a simple map showing the location of the Tropic of Cancer.


Wikipedia. (13 June 2010). Tropic of Cancer - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from:

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Briney, Amanda. "Geography of the Tropic of Cancer." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, Briney, Amanda. (2020, August 28). Geography of the Tropic of Cancer. Retrieved from Briney, Amanda. "Geography of the Tropic of Cancer." ThoughtCo. (accessed August 8, 2022).