TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
 |
| Tropic of Capricorn |
Tropic of
Capricorn is an imaginary line of latitude going around the Earth at
approximately 23.5° south of the equator. It is the southernmost point on Earth
where the sun's rays can be directly overhead at local noon. It is also one of
the major circles of latitude dividing the Earth (the others are the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere, the equator, the
Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle).
 |
| MAJOR LATITUDES |
The Tropic of Capricorn is
significant to understanding the Earth's geography because it marks the
southern boundary of tropics.
This is the region that extends from the equator south to the Tropic of
Capricorn and north to the Tropic of Cancer
COUNTRIES THROUGH WHICH TROPIC OF CAPRICORN PASSES
Unlike the Tropic of Cancer, which passes through many areas of
land in the northern hemisphere,
the Tropic of Capricorn passes mainly through water because there is less land
for it to cross in the southern hemisphere.
The Tropic of Capricorn crosses northern Chile and Argentina,
Paraguay, and southern Brazil in South America. In Africa, it crosses Namibia,
Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar. The tropic of Capricorn also
passes through the middle of Australia.
 |
| AUSTRALIA |
IMPORTANCE OF THE TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
In addition to being used to aid in dividing the Earth into different
parts and marking the southern boundary of the tropics, the Tropic of
Capricorn, like the Tropic of Cancer is also significant to the Earth's amount
of solar insulation and the creation of seasons.
Solar insolation is
the amount of Earth's direct exposure to the sun's rays from incoming solar
radiation. It varies over the Earth's surface based on the amount of direct
sunlight hitting the surface and it is most when it is directly over head at
the subsolar point which migrates annually between the Tropics of Capricorn and
Cancer based on the Earth's axial tilt.
When the subsolar point is at the Tropic of
Capricorn, it is during the December or winter solstice and is when the
southern hemisphere receives the most solar insolation. Thus, it is also when
the southern
hemisphere's summer begins. Furthermore, this is also when the areas
at latitudes higher than the Antarctic Circle receive 24 hours of daylight
because there is more solar radiation to be deflected south due to the Earth's
axial tilt.
 |
| WINTER SOLISTICS |
CLIMATE AROUND THE TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
In the tropics there is little change in the weather throughout
the year. It is always hot and there is usually between 1500-4000 millimetres
of rain each year.
VEGETATION
Tropical rainforests are found near the equator
between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Even though they
cover only six percent of the Earth's land surface, tropical rainforests are
home to half of the world's plant and animal species..
 |
| TROPICAL RAINFOREST |
Tropical rainforests exhibit high levels of biodiversity. Around 40% to 75% of all biotic species are indigenous to the rainforests Rainforests are home to half of all the living animal and plant species on the planet.
Two-thirds of all flowering plants can be found in rainforests. A single hectare of rainforest may contain 42,000 different species of insect, up to 807 trees of 313 species and 1,500 species of higher plants. Tropical rainforests have been called the "world's largest pharmacy", because over one quarter of natural medicines have been discovered within them. It is likely that there may be many millions of species of plants, insects and microorganisms still undiscovered in tropical rainforests.
 |
| Flowering plants |
 |
| animal species |
