45th parallel south

45°

45th parallel south

The 45th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 45 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane.

Highway sign marking the 45th parallel in New Zealand.

It is the line that marks the theoretical halfway point between the equator and the South Pole. The true halfway point is 16.2 kilometres (10.1 mi) south of this parallel because the Earth is not a perfect sphere but bulges at the equator and is flattened at the poles.

Unlike its northern counterpart it passes mostly over open ocean. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 15 hours, 37 minutes during the December solstice and 8 hours, 46 minutes during the June solstice.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 45° south passes through:

Co-ordinates	Country, territory or sea	Notes
	Atlantic Ocean
	Indian Ocean
	Pacific Ocean	Tasman Sea
	New Zealand	South Island, passing just north of the towns of Oamaru, Naseby, and Queenstown, and through the small settlement of Becks
	Pacific Ocean	Passing just south of Guamblin Island, Chile
	Chile	Islands in the Chonos Archipelago including James Island and Melchor Island, and the mainland intersecting Route 7 at Campo Grande roughly 100 km (60 miles) north of Coyhaique.
	Argentina
	Atlantic Ocean

See also

• 44th parallel south
• 46th parallel south