The 30th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 30 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It stands one-third of the way between the equator and the North Pole and crosses Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean.
It is the approximate southern border of the horse latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning that much of the land area touching the 30th parallel is arid or semi-arid. If there is a source of wind from a body of water the area would more likely be subtropical.
At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 5 minutes during the summer solstice and 10 hours, 13 minutes during the winter solstice. On 21 June, the sun is at 83.83 degrees up in the sky and at 36.17 degrees on 21 December.
At this latitude:
- One degree of longitude = 96.49 km or 59.95 mi
- One minute of longitude = 1.61 km or 1.00 mi
- One second of longitude = 26.80 m or 87.93 ft
Read more about 30th Parallel North: Around The World
Famous quotes containing the words parallel and/or north:
“There isn’t a Parallel of Latitude but thinks it would have been the Equator if it had had its rights.”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)
“The Moon’s the North Wind’s cooky,”
—Vachel Lindsay (1879–1931)