Antarctic Circle

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The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the parallel of latitude 66° 33' 39" south of the equator (in 2000). For everywhere within the Antarctic Circle, there is at least twenty-four hours of continuous nighttime on the Summer Solstice, and at least twenty-four hours of continuous daytime on the Winter Solstice. This is because the earth is tilted at a 23.5 degree angle, and during the winter solstice, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, meaning that the antarctic circle is completely tilted towards the Sun, hence it experiences 24 hour daylight, and vice versa. This time period increases as one aproaches the South Pole until at the South Pole there are six months of daylight during summer and six months of night during winter.

Related Topics:
Circles of latitude - Earth - Parallel - Latitude - 66° 33' 39" - Equator - Summer Solstice - Winter Solstice - South Pole

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The area south of this circle is known as the Antarctic, and the zone to the north is the Southern Temperate Zone.

Related Topics:
Antarctic - Southern Temperate Zone

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The continent of Antarctica forms a land mass covering much of the area within the Antarctic Circle.

Related Topics:
Continent - Antarctica

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