The Earth is made up of imaginary lines that delimit it and determine certain aspects of the planet helping to establish the necessary guidelines for its study, such is the case of the Tropics, which are located parallel to the north and south of the Equator, remembering that Ecuador is the one that divides the Earth into two parts: Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.
The Tropics cover 40% of the total land surface area and are characterized by changing temperatures, although they are warm regions, they tend to have excessive rains, which vary from one to several months of constant rains, which makes 80% of biological diversity is found in these areas, it also houses most of the linguistic plurality and culture of the globe.
They celebrate the International Day of the Tropics
With the purpose of recognizing the wide diversity that exists as well as delving into the challenges and opportunities faced by the peoples that inhabit it to make them known and work accordingly, on June 14, 2016, the Assembly General of the United Nations in resolution 70/267 decides to designate June 29 International Day of the TropicsThis opens the opportunity to evaluate the progress made, as well as to share stories and experiences of the tropics, in order to recognize diversity and, in turn, raise the potential of the region.
Summer Solstice
"Tropicos" comes from the Greek "Trepomai", which refers to return, because in the summer or winter solstice the sun appears to return, this happens at noon at least twice a year, the Tropic of Cancer is in the North and determines the summer solstice, since the Sun directly affects the parallel that is located at 23,5 °, this happens between June 20 and 22 of each year, it is when the Sun is right at the zenith, thus being the most northern point of the Earth.
At that time, according to experts, the Sun appeared in a zodiacal constellation, previously it was Cancer and from there the name was derived. However, the denomination was made approximately 2.000 years, but currently, due to the gradual change in the direction of the Earth's axis of rotation, the Sun is no longer in that constellation at that time of year.
Currently on the June solstice, the Sun is in Taurus very close to Gemini, the day the solstice occurs (still sun), the altitude of the Sun at noon and the duration of the day, are maximum, while the night is the shortest of the year (in the summer solstice), the opposite occurs in the winter solstice where they are minimum, this in comparison with any other day of the year.
3 continents span the Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer passes through three continents, covering an estimated 16 countries and 6 bodies of water, starting with America, Africa and Asia. The countries are: Mexico, Bahamas, India, Bangladesh, Burma, China, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, Mali, Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Mauritania.
In several of these countries monuments are erected to determine the exact place through which the Tropic passesHowever, understanding that the Earth is in constant motion, just as the Tropics move, it is also to be understood that with the passage of time these places also cease to be the point where the Sun rises just to the zenith.
Some of the most relevant are: Monument to the Tropic of Cancer on the Miguel Hidalgo Vanegas highway in Mexico. By 2013 it was already 5kms away from the original position; In Al Kufran, a district of Libya, a rock formation is observed as in Lake Nasser, an artificial lake created by the Nile river, however, it is in China, in the different cities through which the Tropic of Cancer passes , where there are various sculptures that refer to this element, which more than being a line for geographical purposes, becomes an identity element for people who live in nearby places.
Importance of the Tropic movement in climate change
According to studies carried out, this variable movement of the tropics towards the equator and the polar circles towards their respective pole is approximately 14.4m per year, which is equal to four (4) centimeters daily, showing as a result that the displacement that is generated is one of the factors that influence the climate change that the planet is experiencing in the long term. Mainly because in one way or another it modifies the percentages that have been taken as corresponding to that of the tropical, temperate and glacial zones.
Mexico the route of beautiful places
The Tropic of Cancer line crosses several cities in Mexico, and for some it has marked a milestone since touristically speaking it enhances places with beautiful landscapes throughout the territory. They are the states in which distinguishes a diversity of flora, fauna, with climates that vary in sub-tropical forests, savannas, steppes, temperate forest, deserts and grasslands. This occurs in the states of BCS, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, SLP, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.
But for those connoisseurs of the benefits it causes, it is Sinaloa the one that stands out for its exuberant vegetation, in addition to being rich in terms of agricultural production. For the natives of this town, the flavors of the food produced there are not at all similar to those harvested in the other states of the country, the same happens with the fishing production, which rises at times of the year, achieving the export of these products to countries such as Japan and others on the European continent.
In india the Tropic of Cancer exerts value
We go to the other extreme and that is that the Tropic of Cancer has a certain value in India, in principle because it passes through eight states, dividing the country in half, marking the north and south areas, the route goes from Guajarat on the west coast and continues through Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram to continue its way through Myanmar (Burma).
In Mahidpur, a town in the state of Madhya, is the temple of Shiva, which is located exactly in the Tropic standing as an important astronomical fact for being considered an important temple in the religious development of that culture. A temple that was made by the ancestors and is in the perfect positioning, according to a study of about 12 years ago.
A little astrology
In astrology, the science that studies the stars, are guided by stars, signs and constellations, which determine and influence human beings according to the time and day of birth; the constellation Cancer is the dimmest of all and is among the constellations of Gemini and Leo, in turn, these constellations bring with them a story and in this case we will talk about the Egyptian culture where the constellation of Cancer was represented by the scarab, a sacred symbol of immortality.
For their part, the Babylonians also associated constellation Cancer with an esoteric meaning that related to life after death or the afterlife, but in Greek mythology, the constellation Cancer represented the colossal Karkinos crab sent by Hera, Zeus's wife, to hinder Hercules from finishing the second of his twelve tests or jobs that he had to pass to redeem himself from after having killed his family. It was a giant crab that lived in the Lerna lagoon.
And despite not achieving her mission of paralyzing the young Hercules, Hera appreciated the effort of the crab by sending him to the sky, where he formed the constellation of Cancer right next to Leo, which by the way represents the great lion that was defeated by Hercules in the first of your tests.
Finally we can highlight that the value it represents, beyond the scientific connotation and the economic value that it may represent due to the climatological aspect that has also been mentioned in this article, refers to an importance to philosophical value since many followers of this trend carry out ceremonies that go to the mystical levels, this being a practice carried out by the ancestors according to some cultures.