Lesson 1 of 2 | Geography of the World and India / Lines on the earth, and the land of India
The equator and the two tropics
Learning outcome
You can place the equator, the Tropic of Cancer, and the Tropic of Capricorn, and you can say which of them crosses India.
Concepts and why
The equator is the line of zero degrees latitude. It divides the earth into a northern half and a southern half. The Tropic of Cancer lies north of the equator. The Tropic of Capricorn lies south of the equator. The belt between those two tropics is the tropics. The Tropic of Cancer crosses India. It also passes through the southern tip of Rajasthan. That line is not the equator.
Worked examples
A question asks which tropic crosses India. The answer is the Tropic of Cancer. A question asks which line is zero degrees latitude. The answer is the equator.
Common mistakes
Calling the Tropic of Cancer the equator. Placing the Tropic of Capricorn north of the equator. Saying the Tropic of Cancer misses India. It crosses India, including the southern tip of Rajasthan.
Practice questions
- Which line is zero degrees latitude?
- Which tropic lies north of the equator?
- Which tropic crosses India?
Answers and explanations
- The equator.
- The Tropic of Cancer.
- The Tropic of Cancer.
Analogy
Think of a belt around a ball. The middle stitch is the equator. The stitch above it is the Tropic of Cancer. The stitch below it is the Tropic of Capricorn. India is crossed by the upper stitch, not by the middle one.
Quick reference
Equator: zero degrees latitude. Tropic of Cancer: north of the equator, crosses India and the southern tip of Rajasthan. Tropic of Capricorn: south of the equator.