The 37th parallel south is a
circle of latitude
A circle of latitude or line of latitude on Earth is an abstract east–west small circle connecting all locations around Earth (ignoring elevation) at a given latitude coordinate line.
Circles of latitude are often called parallels because ...
that is 37
degrees south
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
of the
Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
,
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
, the Pacific Ocean and South America.
This parallel approximates that latitude at which
solar irradiance
Solar irradiance is the power per unit area (surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument.
Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre (W/ ...
equals the planetary average,
[See Nadeau, Alice and McGhee, Richard; ‘A simple formula for a planet’s mean annual insolation by latitude’; ''Icarus'', volume 291, 15 July 2017, pp. 46-50] with higher insolation equatorward and lower poleward.
An exploration of the 37th parallel south is the theme of
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
's novel ''
In Search of the Castaways''. The
phantom reef
A phantom island is a purported island which was included on maps for a period of time, but was later found not to exist. They usually originate from the reports of early sailors exploring new regions, and are commonly the result of navigati ...
of
Maria Theresa Reef
The Maria Theresa Reef is a supposed reef in the South Pacific (south of the French Tuamotu islands and east of New Zealand); it appears to be a phantom reef. It is also known as Tabor Island or Tabor Reef on French maps.
Reports
Bernhard Kraut ...
is supposed to lie on this parallel in the Pacific Ocean.
Around the world
Starting at the
Prime Meridian
A prime meridian is an arbitrary meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. Together, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th meridian in a 360°-system) form a great c ...
and heading eastwards, the parallel 37° south passes through:
:
See also
*
36th parallel south
The 36th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 36 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America.
Around the world
Starting at the Prim ...
*
38th parallel south
The 38th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 38 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Ocean, and South America, including the Andes Mountai ...
References
{{geographical coordinates, state=collapsed
s37 S37 may refer to:
Aviation
* Blériot-SPAD S.37, a French biplane airliner
* Sikorsky S-37, an American sesquiplane
* Smoketown Airport, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
* Sukhoi S-37, an experimental Russian jet fighter
Othe ...