The Tropic of Cancer (23 degrees 30 minutes North) passes through how many Indian states?

The Tropic of Cancer passes through eight Indian states, running roughly through the middle of the country from west to east.

The eight states, from west to east:

• Gujarat
• Rajasthan
• Madhya Pradesh
• Chhattisgarh
• Jharkhand
• West Bengal
• Tripura
• Mizoram
• A memory aid uses the first letters: G, R, M, C, J, W, T, M.

Important places near the Tropic of Cancer:

• Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (Gujarat) lie close to it.
• Ranchi (Jharkhand) lies close to it.
• Agartala (Tripura) and Aizawl (Mizoram) lie near it.
• Kolkata lies a little to the south.

What the Tropic of Cancer is:

• It is the parallel of latitude at about 23.5 degrees North (more precisely about 23 degrees 26 minutes; the traditional value given is 23 degrees 30 minutes).
• It marks the northernmost latitude at which the Sun can be directly overhead at noon, which happens on about 21 June.
• Its southern counterpart is the Tropic of Capricorn, at about 23.5 degrees South.

Effect on India's climate:

• The Tropic of Cancer divides India into two roughly equal halves.
• The part to its south lies in the tropical zone, with high temperatures throughout the year.
• The part to its north lies in the subtropical or warm temperate zone, with greater seasonal differences in temperature.
• However, India's climate as a whole is described as tropical monsoon, because the Himalayas block cold winds from Central Asia and the monsoon winds influence the whole country.

Other countries crossed by the Tropic of Cancer:

It passes through 16 or more countries, including Mexico, the Bahamas, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, Niger, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China and Taiwan.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Six, seven and nine are incorrect counts; the correct number is eight.