Tropic of Cancer
The
Tropic of Cancer is one of the five major
circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. This is the
parallel of
latitude that runs approximately
23.5° north of the
Equator, and is the farthest northern latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead. North of this line is the
Northern Temperate Zone. South of this line are the
Tropics. This line is called the Tropic of Cancer because, when the sun appears directly overhead, at this latitude, during the
summer solstice, it is entering the zodiac sign of
Cancer.
Tropic of Cancer is also the name of a book written by
Henry Miller and first published in
1934.