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The 36th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 36 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean. In the ancient Mediterranean world, its role for navigation and geography was similar to that played by the Equator today.[1]
From 7 April 1991 to 31 December 1996, the parallel defined the limit of the northern no-fly zone in Iraq.[2]
At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 36 minutes during the summer solstice and 9 hours, 43 minutes during the winter solstice.[3]
Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 36° north passes through:
In the United States, the 36th parallel north is occasionally used as a rough northern boundary for the Sun Belt, a region spanning most Southern and Southwestern states and comprising most of the nation's warmest climates.
Cities and landmarks close to the parallel include the following: Kettleman City, California; Henderson, Nevada; Hoover Dam; South Rim of the Grand Canyon; Los Alamos National Laboratory; Tulsa, Oklahoma (passing through the southern portion of the city); Nashville, Tennessee (passing through the southern portion of the city); Knoxville, Tennessee; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; High Point, North Carolina; Greensboro, North Carolina; Durham, North Carolina; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and others. The parallel helped define the North Carolina–Tennessee–Virginia Corners.
The sixth standard parallel south of Mount Diablo Range at 35°48′ north, 13.8344 miles south of the 36th parallel, forms a continuous boundary between the California counties ofMonterey,Kings,Tulare, and Inyo on the north and the counties ofSan Luis Obispo, Kern, and San Bernardinoon the south.[4] It is sometimes taken as the boundary between Central California and Southern California.[5]
The parallel 36° north approximately forms the southernmost boundary of the Missouri Bootheel with the State of Arkansas.
The 36th parallel passes through Duke University in several places. Its Campus Drive that connects the campuses crosses the parallel several times.[citation needed] The Duke Gardens has a "36th Parallel Club" although the garden itself is just north of the parallel.[citation needed]
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