The southern tropic line at 23.4394 degrees S, mapped with every country it crosses.
How this tool works
The Tropic of Capricorn marks the southernmost latitude where the sun can be directly overhead, at the December solstice. The map draws the line at its exact astronomical position on an equal-area style world map, and the table below it lists every country the line crosses. Entry points and approximate overland lengths are computed by intersecting the line with country boundary polygons, so the figures are estimates based on simplified boundaries rather than survey values.
What you can do with it
- See the 10 countries the line crosses, from Chile to Australia
- Notice how the line threads the three great southern deserts: the Atacama, the Kalahari and Namib, and the Australian outback
- Compare overland lengths per country
- Use the map for teaching seasons and climate zones
Why use it
Most maps show these lines as unlabeled dashes with no detail. If you want to know exactly which countries a line passes through, and for roughly how far, you usually end up cross-referencing several articles. This page puts the line, the country list, and the lengths in one place.