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The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the parallel of latitude 66° 33' 39" south of the equator (in 2000). For everywhere within the Antarctic Circle, there is at least twenty-four hours of continuous daylight on the Summer Solstice, and at least twenty-four hours of continuous nighttime on the Winter Solstice. That is to say, one whole day during which the sun does not set, and one whole day during which the sun does not rise. This is because the earth is tilted at a 23.5 degree angle, and during the winter solstice, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, meaning that the antarctic circle is completely tilted away from the Sun, hence it experiences 24 hour nighttime, and vice versa. Image File history File links based on map from CIA World Factbook: Image:WorldMapLongLat-eq-circles-tropics-non. ... Image File history File links based on map from CIA World Factbook: Image:WorldMapLongLat-eq-circles-tropics-non. ... The 5 main circles of latitude on Earth A circle of latitude or parallel is an imaginary east-west circle on the Earth, that connects all locations with a given latitude. ... Earth, also known as Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ... The term Parallel has a number of important meanings: Parallel (geometry) occurs in geometry. ... Latitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ... A degree (in full, a degree of arc, arc degree, or arcdegree), usually symbolized °, is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1／360 of a full rotation. ... The equator is an imaginary circle drawn around a planet (or other astronomical object) at a distance halfway between the poles. ... Illumination of Earth by the sun on the northern hemisphere summer solstice The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the sun in relation to the celestial equator. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of the northern winter solstice In astronomy, the winter solstice is the moment when the earth is at a point in its orbit where one hemisphere is most inclined away from the Sun. ...

The area south of this circle is known as the Antarctic, and the zone to the north is the Southern Temperate Zone. Greek ἀνταρκτικός, opposite the arctic) is a continent surrounding the Earths South Pole. ... In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ...

The continent of Antarctica forms a land mass covering much of the area within the Antarctic Circle. Dymaxion map by Buckminster Fuller shows land mass with minimal distortion as only one continuous continent A continent (Latin continere, to hold together) is a large continuous land mass. ...

See also

• Arctic Circle
• summer solstice
• winter solstice