Antarctic Circle

American  

noun

1. an imaginary line drawn parallel to the equator, at 23° 28prime; N of the South Pole: between the South Frigid Zone and the South Temperate Zone.

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Antarctic Circle British  

noun

1. the imaginary circle around the earth, parallel to the equator, at latitude 66° 32′ S; it marks the southernmost point at which the sun appears above the level of the horizon at the winter solstice

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Antarctic Circle Scientific  

/ ănt-ärk′tĭk /

1. The parallel of latitude approximately 66°33′ south. It forms the boundary between the South Temperate and South Frigid zones.

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Antarctic Circle Cultural  

1. An imaginary circle around the Earth about three-quarters of the way from the equator to the South Pole.

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Discover More

The Antarctic Circle corresponds to the Arctic Circle in the Northern Hemisphere.

Example Sentences

It occurs in winter north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle, which are circumpolar lines at latitude 66.6 degrees North and South respectively.

From National Geographic • Feb. 1, 2024

Earth rotates on a titled axis which means there are periods of the year where the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle are either completely exposed or obscured from the sun.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2024

Though the vessel shares a name with the first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle, captained by James Cook just under 250 years ago, it’s very unlike the original Resolution.

From Washington Post • Mar. 3, 2022

Now it is the Arctic Circle that has the 24-hour night and the Antarctic Circle that has the midnight Sun.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Shackleton had estimated a rate of travel that would put him on the continent by the end of December, but by Christmas they still hadn’t passed the Antarctic Circle.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong