40th parallel north
The 40th parallel north is an imaginary line of latitude that circles through the Northern Hemisphere. The 40th parallel passes through the continents of North America, Europe, and Asia. In Europe, it first passes through Portugal and Spain, then it travels across the western Mediterranean Sea and bisects the Italian Peninsula south of Rome. It then crosses through Albania, Greece and Turkey, then Armenia and Azerbaijan, and then makes its way through Central Asian republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. It then crosses through China, North Korea, and Japan before heading out into the vast Pacific Ocean.
In North America, it enters the United States in northern California. It then passes through Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. The city of Boulder, Colorado lies on top of the 40th parallel. It then makes up the border between Nebraska and Kansas, then crosses northern Missouri, central Illinois where it passes through Indiana and Ohio, a small stretch of the northern West Virginia Panhandle, then through Pennsylvania and New Jersey before heading out into the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Philadelphia lies on top of the 40th parallel.
The 40th parallel was the line originally chosen for the Mason-Dixon Line, but the line was moved several miles south to avoid bisecting the city of Philadelphia.
Categories
Lines of latitude | Boundaries of U.S. states