On June 21 every year, which of the following latitude(s) experience(s) a sunlight of more than 12 hours?
- 1.Equator
- 2.Tropic of Cancer
- 3.Tropic of Capricorn
- 4.Arctic Circle
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 2 and 4
21 June is the summer solstice of the northern hemisphere, when the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun. Every place north of the equator then gets more than 12 hours of daylight, the equator gets exactly 12, and the southern hemisphere gets less. So the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle qualify.
- ✗ 1. The equator has about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness throughout the year, never more.
- ✓ 2. The Tropic of Cancer is in the northern hemisphere, where days are longer than 12 hours in June; on 21 June the Sun is overhead there at noon.
- ✗ 3. The Tropic of Capricorn is in the southern hemisphere, where June is winter and daylight is shorter than 12 hours.
- ✓ 4. On 21 June the Arctic Circle has its longest day — the Sun stays above the horizon for about 24 hours.
Remember · 21 June: longest day north of the equator (24-hour day at and beyond the Arctic Circle); equator always ~12 hours; southern hemisphere has short winter days.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Curiosity, Ch 12 (practise this chapter) · Class 7 Curiosity, Ch 12 (practise this chapter) · Class 7 Curiosity, Ch 12 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 7 · Curiosity, Chapter 12 “Places in this hemisphere receive sunlight for more than 12 hours during the 24 hour rotation of the Earth. The North Pole receives sunlight for all 24 hours in June”
- NCERT Class 7 · Curiosity, Chapter 12 “The seasons and length of daytime are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere as compared to the Northern Hemisphere. There, it is winter in June and summer in December”
- NCERT Class 7 · Curiosity, Chapter 12 “On the equator, there is always 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·