60th parallel north

The 60th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 60 degrees north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.

60°

60th parallel north

Although it lies approximately twice as far away from the Equator as from the North Pole, the 60th parallel is half as long as the Equator line. This is where the Earth bulges halfway as much as on the Equator.

At this latitude, the Sun is visible for 18 hours, 52 minutes during the June solstice and 5 hours, 52 minutes during the December solstice.[1] The maximum altitude of the Sun is 53.44° on 21 June and 6.56° on 21 December. The maximum altitude of the Sun is > 15.00º in October and > 8.00º in November. [2]

The lowest latitude where white nights can be observed is approximately on this parallel.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 60° north passes through:

Co-ordinates	Country, territory or ocean	Notes
60°0′N 0°0′E	Atlantic Ocean	North Sea
60°0′N 5°3′E	Norway	Islands of Stolmen and Selbjørn, Hordaland
60°0′N 5°12′E	Atlantic Ocean	Bekkjarviksundet, Selbjørnsfjorden, North Sea
60°0′N 5°15′E	Norway	Island of Huftarøy, Hordaland
60°0′N 5°17′E	Atlantic Ocean	Langenuen, North Sea
60°0′N 5°22′E	Norway	Islands of Reksteren, Tysnesøy and the mainland Hordaland
60°0′N 5°52′E	Atlantic Ocean	Hardangerfjorden, North Sea
60°0′N 5°59′E	Norway	Mainland: Folgefonna glacier, Telemark, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo, Hedmark, Østfold Passing just north of the capital Oslo
60°0′N 12°23′E	Sweden	Passing through Fagersta Passing just north of Uppsala
60°0′N 18°53′E	Atlantic Ocean	Baltic Sea
60°0′N 20°8′E	Finland	Högskär, Bäckö and several smaller islands,  Åland Islands
60°0′N 20°58′E	Atlantic Ocean	Baltic Sea
60°0′N 22°22′E	Finland
60°0′N 23°56′E	Atlantic Ocean	Baltic Sea Passing just south of Helsinki,  Finland
60°0′N 24°26′E	Finland	Porkkala peninsula
60°0′N 24°30′E	Atlantic Ocean	Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea Passing just south of the island of Gogland,  Russia
60°0′N 27°48′E	Russia	Island of Moshchnyy
60°0′N 27°54′E	Atlantic Ocean	Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea
60°0′N 29°44′E	Russia	Island of Kotlin (city of Kronstadt)
60°0′N 29°47′E	Atlantic Ocean	Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea
60°0′N 30°5′E	Russia	Passing through Saint Petersburg, Lake Ladoga
60°0′N 154°30′E	Pacific Ocean	Shelikhov Gulf, Sea of Okhotsk
60°0′N 161°28′E	Russia	Kamchatka Peninsula
60°0′N 165°14′E	Pacific Ocean	Bering Sea
60°0′N 166°10′E	Russia
60°0′N 166°33′E	Pacific Ocean	Olyutorsky Gulf, Bering Sea
60°0′N 170°9′E	Russia
60°0′N 170°26′E	Pacific Ocean	Bering Sea
60°0′N 167°8′W	United States	Alaska - Nunivak Island
60°0′N 165°39′W	Pacific Ocean	Etolin Strait, Bering Sea
60°0′N 164°9′W	United States	Alaska
60°0′N 152°38′W	Pacific Ocean	Cook Inlet, Gulf of Alaska
60°0′N 151°44′W	United States	Alaska - Kenai Peninsula, Evans Island, Elrington Island, Latouche Island and Montague Island
60°0′N 147°24′W	Pacific Ocean	Gulf of Alaska
60°0′N 144°24′W	United States	Alaska - Wingham Island, Kayak Island and a small section of mainland
60°0′N 143°50′W	Pacific Ocean	Gulf of Alaska
60°0′N 141°53′W	United States	Alaska
60°0′N 139°3′W	Canada	Yukon / British Columbia border Northwest Territories / British Columbia border Northwest Territories / Alberta border Northwest Territories / Saskatchewan border Nunavut / Manitoba border
60°0′N 94°49′W	Arctic Ocean	Hudson Bay Passing just north of the Ottawa Islands, Nunavut,  Canada
60°0′N 77°17′W	Canada	Quebec
60°0′N 69°46′W	Arctic Ocean	Ungava Bay
60°0′N 65°7′W	Canada	Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador
60°0′N 64°9′W	Atlantic Ocean	Border between the Davis Strait (to the north) and the Labrador Sea (to the south)[3]
60°0′N 44°52′W	Greenland	Passing just south of Narsaq
60°0′N 43°9′W	Atlantic Ocean
60°0′N 1°21′W	United Kingdom	Islands of Mainland and Mousa, Shetland Islands,  Scotland
60°0′N 1°11′W	Atlantic Ocean	North Sea

Canada

The 60th parallel north in Canada, marking the southern borders of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and the Nunavut mainland.

In Canada, the 60th parallel constitutes the mainland boundary between the northern territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut to the north, and the western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to the south.

Accordingly, "north of 60" is an expression often used for the territories, although parts of Nunavut (the islands in Hudson Bay and James Bay) are located south of the 60th parallel, and parts of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador are located north, to the east of Hudson Bay. A 1990s TV show on CBC about life in the Northwest Territories was called North of 60.

Canada's only four corners are located at the intersection of the 60th parallel and the 102nd meridian west, between the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. However, this is not a true quadripoint as the measurement of the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border in the 1880s placed it approximately 400 metres (440 yd) west of the 102nd meridian, which defines part of the Northwest Territories/Nunavut border.

Greenland

Between 1776 (leap year starting on Monday) and 1950 (common year starting on Sunday), the 60th parallel formed the southern limit of the Royal Greenland Trade Department's exclusive monopoly on trade near the Dano-Norwegian and later Danish colonies of Greenland (1776–1782) and South Greenland (1782–1950).[4]

See also

• 58th parallel north
• 59th parallel north
• 61st parallel north
• 60th parallel south

References

1. "Duration of Daylight/Darkness Table for One Year". aa.usno.navy.mil.
2. NASA. "Earth Fact Sheet". Retrieved April 11, 2017.
3. "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition" (PDF). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
4. Marquardt, Ole. "Change and Continuity in Denmark's Greenland Policy" in The Oldenburg Monarchy: An Underestimated Empire?. Verlag Ludwig (Kiel), 2006.