52nd parallel north explained

The 52nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 52 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.

In Canada, part of the legally defined border between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador is defined by the parallel, though Quebec maintains a dormant claim to some of the territory north of this line.^[1]

The catchment area of London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, can be broadly defined by the 51st and 52nd parallels.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 16 hours, 44 minutes during the summer solstice and 7 hours, 45 minutes during the winter solstice.^[2]

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian (just west of the village of Barkway in Hertfordshire, England) and heading eastwards, the parallel 52° north passes through:

Co-ordinates	Country, territory or sea	Notes
	North Sea
		Provinces of South Holland, Utrecht and Gelderland, including directly through the cities of Delft,^[3] Gouda, Nieuwegein, and Arnhem.
		States of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg
		passing just north of Zielona Góra, and through Biała Podlaska Airport
		Chernihiv Oblast Sumy Oblast — passing just north of Shostka
		Passing through Lake Baikal
		Inner Mongolia Heilongjiang
	Strait of Tartary
		Island of Sakhalin
	Sea of Okhotsk
		Kamchatka Peninsula
	Pacific Ocean
		Alaska - Kiska Island
	Bering Sea
		Alaska - Segula Island
	Bering Sea	Passing just north of Khvostof Island, Davidof Island and Little Sitkin Island, Alaska,
		Alaska - Semisopochnoi Island
	Bering Sea	Passing just north of Tanaga Island and Kanaga Island, Alaska,
		Alaska - Adak Island
	Bering Sea
		Alaska - Great Sitkin Island
	Bering Sea	Passing just north of Igitkin Island, Tagalak Island and Oglodak Island, Alaska,
	Pacific Ocean	Passing just south of Atka Island and Amlia Island, Alaska,
		British Columbia - Kunghit Island
	Pacific Ocean	Queen Charlotte Sound
		British Columbia - Hunter Island, King Island and the mainland Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba - including Lake Winnipegosis and Lake Winnipeg Ontario
	James Bay
		Nunavut - Charlton Island and Carey Island
	James Bay
		Quebec Newfoundland and Labrador Quebec Quebec / Newfoundland and Labrador border (disputed by Quebec) Newfoundland and Labrador
	Atlantic Ocean	Strait of Belle Isle
		Newfoundland and Labrador - Belle Isle
	Atlantic Ocean
		Passing directly through the country's highest point Carrauntoohil, County Kerry, County Cork, County Waterford
	St George's Channel
		Wales England - passing between Bletchley and Milton Keynes at 0° 44′ W

See also

• 51st parallel north
• 53rd parallel north

Notes and References

1. Web site: Jacobs. Frank. 2012-07-10. Oh, (No) Canada!. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191001111401/https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/oh-no-canada/. 2019-10-01. 2012-09-23. Opinionator: Borderlines. The New York Times.
2. Web site: 2019-09-24. Duration of Daylight/Darkness Table for One Year. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20191012094319/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/Dur_OneYear.php. 2019-10-12. 2021-03-10. United States Naval Observatory.
3. Web site: 52° North: a tangible timeline. TU Delft. en. 2019-05-29.