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Tropic of Cancer Countries

The Tropic of Cancer is a line of latitude about 23 degrees north of the equator, and is one of the five major lines of latitude, along with the Equator, Arctic and Antarctic circles and Tropic of Capricorn. Can you name the countries whose land mass it passes through?
The Tropic of Cancer is a fluctuating line - only nations that always touch the line are included; countries are listed from west to east
Additional research: buck1017
Quiz by TenThousand
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Last updated: March 7, 2021
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First submittedJuly 16, 2014
Times taken36,316
Average score76.5%
Rating4.92
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Country
Mexico
Bahamas
Morocco / Western Sahara
Mauritania
Mali
Algeria
Country
Niger
Libya
Egypt
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
Oman
Country
India
Bangladesh
Myanmar
China
Taiwan
+1
Level 77
Jul 17, 2014
Western Sahara? The country quiz here doesn't recognise that as a country and I don't think it's a country anymore? Or it's called something else.
+14
Level 76
Jul 17, 2014
That's an interesting one! Both "Morocco" and "Western Sahara" are allowable answers here, because both the Western Saharans and Morocco say its theirs! It had been a Spanish territory until 1975, when Spain withdrew and Western Sahara declared its independence. Morocco then invaded, but no United Nations member country has ever recognised its claim to it. Western Sahara remains a member of the African Union, has been recognised by over 80 countries, and maintains diplomatic relations with about half of those. See also this backgrounder.
+2
Level 68
Feb 25, 2016
However, on the countries and world capitals quizzes, Western Sahara does not come up
+10
Level 76
Feb 25, 2016
Perhaps it should then. It deserves to.
+17
Level 70
Nov 18, 2018
The most important step to becoming a country is recognition by JetPunk. Therefore the Western Sahara is not a country.

On a more serious note, by a country JetPunk means a sovereign state. That means that whether the government has control of the country is more important than recognition by other countries. I don't know the exact details of how the sovereignty works in that area of the world, but I'm guessing it's something to do with whether the Western Sahara has an active government that doesn't have to bow to the will of Morocco and enforces its own laws.

+7
Level 73
Mar 7, 2021
Western Sahara does have an active government in tifariti and tindouf, and they do control the areas beyond the green wall, so if you don't count recognition as an important factor to what makes a country, then this should be counted.

However, I don't think there is a consistent criteria for what makes a country in jetpunk. Taiwan, a country recognized by fewer states than Western Sahara, not recognized by the US and a non-member of the UN is counted, and Kosovo, a country recognized by fewer than Palestine and another non-member of the UN is counted while Palestine, a UN observer member like the Vatican and recognized by more than a hundred countries is excluded.

If jetpunk did not care about international recognition and only cared about de facto control, then countries like Palestine, Abkhazia and Somaliland should be counted. If jetpunk followed either US recognition or recognition, why is Taiwan here?

I raised this question multiple times but I don't think it was ever answered

+4
Level 73
Mar 7, 2021
Excuse me WHAT? Syria have control over all its claimed territory except the Golan Heights which accounts for less than a percent of what Syria claims.

Also 'a mix of international recognition and control of territory' seems like no standard at all and still doesn't explain the exclusion of Palestine and inclusion of Taiwan. Palestine is recognized by more than 70% of UN member states and controls 45% of its claimed land and is excluded, Taiwan controls less than 1% of what it claims (entirety of China, de jure).

According to your logic, Syria does not have control over its territory but is counted as a country. If so, then Western Sahara controlling only 20% of what it claims shouldn't be a problem for you. Regarding recognition, yes Western Sahara is recognized by only 84 UN member states, but that still is more than states recognizing Taiwan.

Look, as long as Taiwan is included and Palestine is excluded, I don't think any standard can explain Jetpunk's recognition of countries.

+8
Level 62
Mar 9, 2021
Jetpunk is a very US-centric website. The US government has a crush on Israel, so Jetpunk will never add Palestine even if all countries except the US recognise Palestine.
+2
Level 45
Oct 22, 2022
The United States recognises Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara in exchange for Morocco establishing diplomatic relations and formally recognising Israel
+1
Level 45
Oct 22, 2022
The United States recognises Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara in exchange for Morocco establishing diplomatic relations and formally recognising Israel
+1
Level 74
Nov 24, 2015
vietnam?
+2
Level 87
Nov 25, 2015
I think Vietnam and Chad should be included.
+8
Level 76
Nov 25, 2015
They both miss, just.
+8
Level 89
Jul 5, 2018
If they miss, they miss, no two ways about it.
+1
Level 71
Mar 7, 2021
Seems that Pakistan also just misses, right? At least that's what it looks like on a map.
+1
Level 50
Jul 8, 2022
Seems like New Zealand also “just misses”
+4
Level 92
Nov 25, 2015
Never noticed until now that the tropic threads the needle between Florida and Cuba. Interesting.
+1
Level 77
Nov 25, 2015
The tropic does indeed pass through Chad. The tropics are not fixed lines at exactly 23 degrees, but vary year to year. Currently the tropic of Cancer is at 23°26′14.0″. The northernmost point of Chad is at 23°26′57″. So the Tropic of Cancer passes through Chad by 43 arc seconds. Normally I wouldn't know this, but I made this exact same quiz about a year ago with this qualifier.
+5
Level 76
Dec 25, 2015
Researching this answer has unearthed a remarkable fact: the Tropic of Cancer is itself defined as the northernmost point of Chad! (see this international boundary study). Those who drafted that boundary detail in 1900 would have had no idea that the Tropic moves, so does that mean we have an accidentally moving boundary?! Although your quiz was written after this one, we'll add your qualifying rider, as well as a crediting link, to this quiz.
+3
Level 82
Aug 16, 2016
"Those who drafted that boundary detail in 1900 would have had no idea that the Tropic moves." - Not sure this is right. The ancient Greeks were aware of the Earth's obliquity and had pretty accurate measurements of it. In medieval times both European and Arab astronomers were also aware that Earth's obliquity was not fixed and would also be aware of Greek measurements of obliquity different to those they could then attain (the general view was that it oscillated on multi-century cycles - a view that was not overturned until the time of Copernicus, I believe). The latitude of the tropics, by definition, matches the axial tilt (obliquity) of the Earth, so in 1900 they would have been well aware that the tropics are not fixed.
+2
Level 93
Nov 18, 2018
Assuming they were intelligent, knowledgeable people and weren't picking an arbitrary definition.
+1
Level 59
Oct 19, 2022
I believe they were saying the treaty writers have no reason to know, even if humanity had knowledge of the fact at this point in history.
+1
Level 71
Feb 25, 2016
I believe that the Tropic of Cancer lies at 23.5 degrees north, although the actual sun/tropic moves slightly the given tropic stays at 23.5 for geographical purposes. The same goes for the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5 degrees South.
+2
Level 76
Feb 25, 2016
I thought that too, until I saw this photo!
+1
Level 65
Feb 25, 2016
Nice quiz, was hard though, never really paid much attention to the tropic lines before!
+1
Level 36
Feb 25, 2016
Sorry but Chad should be in.

The most northern point is just on the Tropic and border is just considered as part of a country.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/23rd_parallel_north

+1
Level 76
Feb 25, 2016
The Tropic (which is currently moving progressively southwards) was 23°27′ N in year 1917, north of Chad's current northernmost point of 23°26′ N. At some point, the Tropic will turn around and head northwards again. See my comments above for yet more complications around this!
+2
Level 36
Feb 26, 2016
OK thanks Jerry
+2
Level 83
Feb 25, 2016
Presumably it's impossible to score 4 points on this one. I managed 16 out of 17 but only 3 points?
+1
Level 59
Oct 19, 2022
Probably means that a larger majority of people got all 17 than on other quizzes, thus 16/17 only qualifies for 3 points instead of 4
+1
Level 61
Feb 17, 2017
100% with 1:39 to go.
+2
Level 65
Nov 18, 2018
If Chad is not included, I don't see how Niger can be, seeing as it is barely any further North than Chad and would fail on the condition of permanently having some of its territory on a tropic that fluctuates.
+3
Level 64
Nov 19, 2018
Why is the tropic fluctuating? I get that the highest point of the sun fluctuates with the seasons, but the tropics are fixed, just like the equator, right?
+1
Level 76
Mar 7, 2021
The tropics of cancer and capricorn depend on Earth's axial tilt (or obliquity), i.e. the angle between the axis of rotation and Earth's orbital plane.

Currently it is 23.4° but it is not fixed in time. It oscillates between 22.1 and 24.5 on a 41,000-year cycle. So it has nothing to do with the seasons. See wiki

+1
Level 45
Mar 7, 2021
Once you get the first one you slowly make your way to the west
+1
Level 53
Mar 7, 2021
If the Tropic goes through Hawaii then should the USA be included?
+1
Level 76
Mar 7, 2021
It passes between the Hawaiian islands, but does not cross any of them. It runs between Necker and Nihoa Islands, which are small uninhabited islands that lie northwest of Kauaʻi.
+1
Level 53
Mar 18, 2021
Dude, I got all of them except the Bahamas :D

I was thinking about something in Asia or the Pacific but the Bahamas didn't even cross my mind :D

+1
Level 78
Apr 7, 2021
I missed one, 16/17 yields 4 points.
+1
Level 78
Oct 19, 2022
The order of the quiz was very helpful!
+1
Level 58
Oct 22, 2022
Meanwhile me who wrote Chad without thinking it will be that much thin to get it. Nevertheless, isn't the USA crossed by it nearby Hawaii?
+1
Level 71
Oct 24, 2022
Since it crosses Niger, then you would expect to do so in Chad too. It looks like it just touches Niger?