The tropics are the belt of Earth that lies between two lines of latitude: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south.

Quick Scoop: Where Are the Tropics?

  • The tropics stretch from about 23.4° north of the Equator (Tropic of Cancer) to about 23.4° south (Tropic of Capricorn).
  • This zone surrounds the Equator and includes large parts of:
    • Central and South America
    • Central and southern Africa
    • South and Southeast Asia
    • Northern Australia and many Pacific islands
  • Around 40% of Earth’s land area and about 40% of the world’s population are in the tropics.

What “tropics” really means

When people say “the tropics,” they usually mean:

  • A geographic region: the belt between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, closest to the Equator.
  • A typical climate: generally warm all year, with average monthly temperatures around or above 18°C (about 64°F), often with distinct wet and dry seasons rather than four traditional seasons.

Many countries you might think of as “tropical,” like Indonesia, Brazil (northern part), Nigeria, Thailand, and Colombia, lie wholly or partly in this zone.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.