38th parallel north

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Line across the Earth
38°
38th parallel north
38th parallel north
Hangul 삼팔선
Hanja 三八線
Revised Romanization Sampalseon
McCune–Reischauer Samp'alsŏn

The 38th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 38 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The 38th parallel north formed the border between North and South Korea prior to the Korean War.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 48 minutes during the summer solstice and 9 hours, 32 minutes during the winter solstice.[1]

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian heading eastwards, the 38th parallel north passes through:

Co-ordinates Country, territory or sea Notes
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Mediterranean Sea Passing just north of the island of Marettimo,  Italy (at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.)
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Italy Islands of Levanzo and Sicily
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Mediterranean Sea Strait of Messina
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Italy Passing through Reggio di Calabria (southern suburbs)
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Mediterranean Sea Ionian Sea - passing between the islands of Kefalonia (at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.) and Zakynthos (at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.),  Greece
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Greece Passing through Athens (northern suburbs)
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Aegean Sea
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Greece Islands of Petalioi and Euboea
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Aegean Sea Passing just north of the island of Andros (at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.),  Greece
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Turkey
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Iran
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Caspian Sea
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Turkmenistan
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Iran
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Turkmenistan Passing just north of Ashgabat
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Uzbekistan
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Tajikistan
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Afghanistan
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Tajikistan
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  People's Republic of China Xinjiang
Qinghai
Gansu
Inner Mongolia
Ningxia
Inner Mongolia
Shaanxi − for around 5 km
Inner Mongolia − for around 14 km
Shaanxi
Shanxi — passing just north of Taiyuan
Hebei — passing just south of Shijiazhuang
Shandong
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Yellow Sea Passing just north of Baengnyeong Island (at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.),  South Korea
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  North Korea Ongjin PeninsulaSouth Hwanghae Province
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Yellow Sea Ongjin Bay
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  North Korea South Hwanghae Province
North Hwanghae Province
passing just north of Kaesong
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  South Korea Gyeonggi Province- Passing through Yeoncheon County, Pocheon
Gangwon Province - Passing through Cheolwon County, Hwacheon County, Yanggu County, Inje County, Yangyang County
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Sea of Japan
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Japan Island of Sado:
Niigata Prefecture
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Sea of Japan
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Japan Island of Honshū:
— Niigata Prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
Miyagi Prefecture
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Pacific Ocean
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  United States California
Nevada
Utah
Colorado
Kansas
Missouri
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
West Virginia
Virginia
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Chesapeake Bay
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  United States Maryland
Virginia
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Atlantic Ocean Passing between Pico (at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.) and São Miguel (at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.) islands, Azores,  Portugal
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Portugal Setúbal District
Beja District - passing just south of Beja
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.  Spain Andalusia
Extremadura
Andalusia
Region of Murcia - passing just north of Murcia
Valencian Community
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Mediterranean Sea

Korea

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The land on the left side of the boundary in this picture belongs to South Korea while on the right side it belongs to North Korea.

When Japan surrendered in August 1945, the 38th parallel was established as the boundary between Soviet and American occupation zones. This parallel divides the Korean peninsula roughly in the middle. In 1948, this parallel became the boundary between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), both of which claim to be the government of the whole of Korea. On 25 June 1950, after a series of cross-border raids and gunfire from both the Northern and the Southern sides, the North Korean Army crossed the parallel and invaded South Korea. This sparked a United Nations resolution against the aggression and the Korean War, with United Nations troops (mostly Americans) helping to defend South Korea.[2]

After the Armistice ended the Korean War in 1953, a new border was established based on the territory that each side held at that point. This Military Demarcation Line is surrounded by a Demilitarized Zone. It crosses the 38th parallel, from the southwest to the northeast. The new border is still often described as the 38th parallel, but this is not accurate.

See also

References

  1. http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/Dur_OneYear.php
  2. Nash, Gary B., The American People (6th edition), Pearson Longman (New York), 2008.

Further reading