Question map
On June 21 every year, which of the following latitude(s) experience(s) a sunlight of more than 12 hours ? 1. Equator 2. Tropic of Cancer 3. Tropic of Capricorn 4. Arctic Circle Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Explanation
The correct answer is option D (2 and 4 - Tropic of Cancer and Arctic Circle).
At the equator, all days of the year have the same number of hours of light and dark[1], meaning it receives exactly 12 hours of sunlight on June 21, not more than 12 hours. Therefore, statement 1 is incorrect.
On June 21, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, and the rays of the sun fall directly on the Tropic of Cancer, and since a large[2] portion of the northern hemisphere is getting light from the sun, it is summer in the regions north of the equator[2]. The Northern Hemisphere receives sunlight for more than 12 hours in June[3], which means the Tropic of Cancer experiences more than 12 hours of sunlight. Therefore, statement 2 is correct.
The Tropic of Capricorn is in the southern hemisphere, which experiences winter during June 21, resulting in less than 12 hours of sunlight. Therefore, statement 3 is incorrect.
At the Arctic Circle, the Sun never 'sets' at mid-summer (21 June) and there is a complete 24-hour period of continuous daylight[4]. Therefore, statement 4 is correct.
Thus, both the Tropic of Cancer (2) and Arctic Circle (4) experience more than 12 hours of sunlight on June 21.
Sources- [1] https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/about/k-12-education/optical-phenomena/what-solstice
- [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Summer Solstice > p. 252
- [3] Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 12: Earth, Moon, and the Sun > 12.2.2 Seasons on the Earth > p. 177
- [4] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: The Earth's Crust > The Earth's Revolution > p. 7
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a fundamental 'Earth Mechanics' question directly from Class 6 NCERT. It penalizes rote learning of dates without visualizing the tilt. If you cannot visualize the 'Circle of Illumination' relative to the axis, you lose easy marks. It is a test of pure conceptual clarity over information overload.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Do locations on the Equator receive more than 12 hours of sunlight on June 21 every year?
- Statement 2: Do locations on the Tropic of Cancer (≈23.5° N) receive more than 12 hours of sunlight on June 21 every year?
- Statement 3: Do locations on the Tropic of Capricorn (≈23.5° S) receive more than 12 hours of sunlight on June 21 every year?
- Statement 4: Do locations on the Arctic Circle (≈66.5° N) receive more than 12 hours of sunlight on June 21 every year?
- States that the equator has the same number of hours of daylight and dark every day of the year.
- This directly implies the equator does not receive more than 12 hours of sunlight specifically on June 21.
- Explains that the Sun is directly overhead on the equator on the two equinoxes (March and September), not on the June 21 solstice.
- Implying June 21 is not a date when the equator gets extra daylight compared with its usual day length.
Explicit rule-like statement: 'On the equator, there is always 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness.'
A student could combine this rule with knowledge of Earth's tilt and the date of solstice to check if the equator's day length should change on June 21.
Describes the June 21 (summer solstice) geometry: northern hemisphere tilted toward the Sun and areas north of the equator receive more than 12 hours of daylight.
Use the solstice geometry to reason whether the equator, lying between hemispheres, would experience a notable increase above 12 hours on that date.
States that the Northern Hemisphere receives sunlight for more than 12 hours in June and contrasts hemisphere-wide daylength changes with equatorial conditions.
Compare hemisphere-wide increases in daylength with the equator's purported constant 12-hour day to judge if equatorial locations would exceed 12 hours on June 21.
Explains that beyond the Arctic Circle there are 24-hour daylight conditions at mid‑summer, implying daylength varies with latitude during solstices.
Combine this latitude-dependent variation with a map showing the equator's latitude to infer whether equatorial daylength is expected to change on solstice dates.
School-style question noting two places on same longitude can have 'similar hours of daylight on 21 June', implying daylength depends on latitude and date.
A student could use the longitude/latitude idea plus a world map to compare equatorial locations with higher-latitude locations on June 21 to see if equatorial daylength differs from 12 hours.
- Explicitly states the Northern Hemisphere receives sunlight for more than 12 hours in June.
- The Tropic of Cancer lies in the Northern Hemisphere, so June conditions for the hemisphere apply to it.
- States that on 21 June the Sun's rays fall directly on the Tropic of Cancer (summer solstice).
- States 21 June is the longest day and shortest night across the Northern Hemisphere, implying day length >12 hours there.
- Explains the mid-day Sun is overhead at least once a year between the Tropics, so the Tropic of Cancer has the Sun at zenith on the relevant solstice.
- Overhead Sun on the Tropic at solstice is consistent with maximal daytime duration for that latitude.
- Identifies 21 June as the northern summer solstice when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and the Sun's rays fall directly on the Tropic of Cancer.
- Says the conditions are reversed in the southern hemisphere on that date, implying shorter days in the southern hemisphere (including the Tropic of Capricorn) on 21 June.
- Specifies the Northern Hemisphere receives sunlight for more than 12 hours in June.
- By contrast this implies the Southern Hemisphere receives less than 12 hours in June, relevant to locations at 23.5° S.
- Identifies 22 December as the date when the Tropic of Capricorn receives direct rays and the southern hemisphere has longer days.
- By indicating the southern hemisphere's long days occur in December, it implies June is the opposite (shorter days) at the Tropic of Capricorn.
- Direct statement that at the Arctic Circle the Sun never sets at mid-summer (21 June).
- Explicit claim of a complete 24-hour period of continuous daylight at the Arctic Circle on that date.
- Defines the Arctic Circle as the southern limit where, for one day or more each year (around 21 June), the Sun does not set.
- Frames the Arctic Circle latitude as marking the boundary for at least one day of continuous daylight.
- Explains that on 21 June the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and the whole Arctic region lies within the zone of illumination all day.
- Links the summer solstice geometry to continuous daylight across Arctic latitudes.
- [THE VERDICT]: Absolute Sitter. Directly sourced from NCERT Class VI (Chapter 3: Motions of the Earth) and GC Leong (Chapter 2).
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Solar Geometry & Seasons. Specifically, the relationship between Latitude, Declination of the Sun, and Day Length.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: 1. Equinoxes (Mar 21/Sept 23): 12h day everywhere. 2. Winter Solstice (Dec 22): Southern Hemisphere gets >12h. 3. Arctic Circle (66.5°N): 24h day on June 21. 4. Antarctic Circle: 24h night on June 21. 5. Twilight duration increases polewards.
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Stop memorizing facts; start visualizing the globe. The rule is binary: In the summer hemisphere, day > 12h. In the winter hemisphere, day < 12h. At the Equator, day ≈ 12h always. Apply this logic to every option.
Locations on the equator experience approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night throughout the year.
High-yield: explains why seasonal day-length changes are minimal at the equator and why equatorial climates show weak seasonality. Connects directly to questions on day/night cycles, basic insolation patterns, and climatic zonation. Useful for eliminating options in questions about seasonal day-length extremes.
- Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 12: Earth, Moon, and the Sun > FASCINATING FACTS > p. 179
- FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature > Spatial Distribution of Insolation at the Earth's Surface > p. 68
Earth's tilt causes the Northern Hemisphere to be oriented toward the Sun around 21 June, producing its longest day and shortest night.
High-yield: central to understanding timing of seasons, solstices, and the resulting latitudinal differences in daylight. Links to topics on polar day/night, distribution of insolation, and seasonal climate changes — frequently tested in mains and prelims.
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Summer Solstice > p. 252
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: The Earth's Crust > The Earth's Revolution > p. 7
Day length increases toward the pole during that hemisphere's summer, producing more than 12 hours north of the equator on 21 June and continuous daylight within the Arctic Circle.
High-yield: underpins questions on spatial variation of solar exposure, energy balance, and climatic belts. Helps solve map-based and analytical questions about daylight duration and its climatic consequences.
- Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 12: Earth, Moon, and the Sun > 12.2.2 Seasons on the Earth > p. 177
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: The Earth's Crust > The Earth's Revolution > p. 7
Solar declination reaches about 23.5° N on June 21, placing the subsolar point on the Tropic of Cancer and producing the Northern Hemisphere's longest day.
High-yield for UPSC geography: explains timing and location of solstices, links to seasonal temperature and rainfall patterns, and is repeatedly tested in questions on Earth's motions and climatic zones. Mastery helps answer questions on day length, solar altitude, and climatic consequences.
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Summer Solstice > p. 252
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 18: Latitudes and Longitudes > Latitudinal Heat Zones of The Earth > p. 242
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Biotic: Living > p. 125
Day length increases north of the equator in June so locations in the Northern Hemisphere receive more than 12 hours of sunlight during that month.
Essential for questions on seasonal impacts, agriculture and biomes; connects to concepts of equinoxes/solstices, energy balance, and human-environment interactions. Enables elimination of wrong options in MCQs comparing day lengths at different latitudes.
- Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 12: Earth, Moon, and the Sun > 12.2.2 Seasons on the Earth > p. 177
- Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 12: Earth, Moon, and the Sun > FASCINATING FACTS > p. 179
The midday Sun is overhead at least once a year between the Tropic lines, causing maximum insolation in the torrid zone and shaping heat distribution.
Useful for linking solar geometry to climate zones, insolation maps and temperature distribution; helps answer questions on tropical climates, crop patterns, and energy surplus/deficit regions.
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 18: Latitudes and Longitudes > Latitudinal Heat Zones of The Earth > p. 242
- FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature > Spatial Distribution of Insolation at the Earth's Surface > p. 68
The Tropic of Capricorn is the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be directly overhead (solar declination) and its annual position determines which hemisphere gets longer days.
High-yield for solstice/declination questions; links latitude (tropics) to seasonal solar position and daylength. Useful for answering questions about where and when the Sun is overhead, seasonal insolation patterns, and climate zones.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Biotic: Living > p. 125
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 18: Latitudes and Longitudes > Latitudinal Heat Zones of The Earth > p. 242
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Winter Solstice > p. 253
The 'Midnight Sun' duration gradient. While the Arctic Circle sees continuous daylight for 1 day, the North Pole sees it for 6 months. A future question may ask you to arrange latitudes (e.g., 70°N, 80°N, 90°N) by the duration of their continuous daylight period.
The 'Hemisphere Heuristic'. June 21 = Northern Summer. Rule: Any latitude North of Equator has >12h daylight. Any latitude South has <12h. Equator is the neutral pivot (exactly 12h). Thus, you only look for Northern latitudes in the list. Cancer (N) and Arctic Circle (N) are the only Northern options. Answer is 2 and 4.
Mains GS-1 (Geography) & GS-3 (Energy): This solar geometry dictates the 'Torrid Zone' boundaries, forming the basis for the **International Solar Alliance (ISA)**. The 'Sunshine Countries' are defined by this very logic of overhead sun and insolation potential.