We pass over the Tropic of Capricorn
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325345)
Rockingham, Australia
October 17, 2020 6:26pm CST
We are now in Carnarvon and passed banana plantations and vegetable gardens on our way into the town. Not too far north we also passed over the Tropic of Capricorn. I missed taking a photo of it on the way up as we were on a different road (inland) and there was nowhere to pull over.
The Tropic of Capricorn marks the southernmost latitude where the sun can be seen directly overhead. This ‘southern solstice’ occurs in December. The latitude is currently 23°26'11.7? (or 23.43659°)[1] south, but Wikipedia says it is very gradually currently moving northward at 15 metres per year.
The other thing I found interesting is that less than 3% of the world's population lives south of the Tropic of Capricorn. This represents 30% of the population of the Southern Hemisphere. Who’d a thought??
26 people like this
25 responses
@snowy22315 (169634)
• United States
18 Oct 20
Interesting they have a sign. I wonder where the Tropic of Cancer is?
3 people like this
@snowy22315 (169634)
• United States
18 Oct 20
@JudyEv Yeah, somewhere out there! 
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (45422)
• India
18 Oct 20
@snowy22315
A lot of areas in Tropic of Cancer are in India and areas of Middle East, North Africa, Mexico, Myanmar and China.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
18 Oct 20
That is a very interesting fact, is it because India is in that area?
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
18 Oct 20
@JudyEv I am not familiar with either of them I’m not quite sure why
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325345)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Oct 20
@BelleStarr We covered it in school I guess in geography.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (61951)
• United States
18 Oct 20
What did the Tropic of Capricorn’s horoscope say? 
Thank you for the excellent explanation!
Thank you for the excellent explanation!1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
18 Oct 20
hmm, i'd figured such 'twas too arid to grow naners 'n veggies. so, the earth's axis 'tis movin' that much per year? lots 'f interestin' schtuff with that place fer certain.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
18 Oct 20
@JudyEv ah, perfect climate then fer such growin'. i reckon i need to learn me more 'bout geography there'n australia, lol.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325345)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Oct 20
@crazyhorseladycx We are such a big country we seem to have a great range of climates - as does the USA.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325345)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Oct 20
@nawala123 It's mostly green round the edges - on the coast - but the interior is very arid.
1 person likes this
@nawala123 (20852)
• Indonesia
18 Oct 20
@JudyEv that is so green. Contrary to most aussie land
1 person likes this
@jefferson126 (3040)
• Shenzhen, China
19 Oct 20
it was quite cool experience crossing the Tropic of Capricom, is it very hot there?plus,"southern solstice" means it is
daytime throughout whole day?nice landscape in your picture.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325345)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Oct 20
It is quite hot in this area. The southern solstice is the time when there is 12 hours daylight and 12 hours darkness. I'm glad you like the photo.
@ptrikha_2 (45422)
• India
18 Oct 20
I think a lot of population in Africa and South America lives north of Tropic of Capricorn in Southern Hemisphere.
Yet I expected a world population figure above 3% for South of Tropic of Capricorn.
Of course, not many people live in the frigid Antarctica- mainly the research teams.
And 15 Metres per year seems quite significant.
I also read somewhere that some Million years from now, the poles would be switched.
We cannot be sure whether the human race or earth would still be existent after Million of years.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325345)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Oct 20
There isn't much of Africa below the Tropic of Capricorn and there is also an awful lot of ocean whereas there are much greater land masses above.
@topffer (42156)
• France
18 Oct 20
Can we say that 100% of the population living South of the Tropic of Capricorn is in the Southern hemisphere 
?
I never crossed this one. I remember a sign telling "You are crossing the meridian of Greenwich." This one splitting the Western and the Eastern hemisphere does not move every year, however the International Reference Meridian used by maps and GPS since the 1980's is at about 100m of the meridian of Greenwich.
?
I never crossed this one. I remember a sign telling "You are crossing the meridian of Greenwich." This one splitting the Western and the Eastern hemisphere does not move every year, however the International Reference Meridian used by maps and GPS since the 1980's is at about 100m of the meridian of Greenwich.1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (155562)
• United States
18 Oct 20
Do they know why the latitude is moving northward?
1 person likes this
