What latitude marks the boundary into the polar zones?

What latitude marks the boundary into the polar zones?

• A. 60 degrees North
• B. 66.5 degrees North
• C. 23.5 degrees North
• D. 0 degrees

Answer: (B)

Latitudinal zones are defined by how sunlight reaches the Earth as you move away from the equator. The polar zones begin at the polar circles, the lines where the sun can be below the horizon for part of the year and above it for part of the year. Because Earth tilts about 23.5 degrees, those boundary latitudes sit at about 66.5 degrees from the equator, both in the north and the south. So the boundary into the polar zones is at about 66.5 degrees north. Beyond that toward the poles, you get extreme daylight or darkness for extended periods. The other latitudes you mentioned fall in the temperate zones or near the Tropics or the Equator, not at the polar boundary.

Latitudinal zones are defined by how sunlight reaches the Earth as you move away from the equator. The polar zones begin at the polar circles, the lines where the sun can be below the horizon for part of the year and above it for part of the year. Because Earth tilts about 23.5 degrees, those boundary latitudes sit at about 66.5 degrees from the equator, both in the north and the south. So the boundary into the polar zones is at about 66.5 degrees north. Beyond that toward the poles, you get extreme daylight or darkness for extended periods. The other latitudes you mentioned fall in the temperate zones or near the Tropics or the Equator, not at the polar boundary.