72nd parallel south

The 72nd parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 72 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic. The parallel passes through the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

72°

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72nd parallel south

This is the parallel where twilight/nighttime boundary on the equinoxes.

This is also the lowest parallel that golden hour occurs even at midnight sun, because the Sun is less than 6°00'00" above the horizon. Midnight sun without golden hour occurs at latitudes greater than 72°33'38.58804", i.e., about 666.8 km (414.3 mi) south of the Antarctic Circle in the case of the December Solstice.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 72° south passes through:

Coordinates	Continent or ocean	Notes
72°0′S 0°0′E	Antarctica	Queen Maud Land, claimed by Norway
72°0′S 45°0′E		Western Australian Antarctic Territory, claimed by Australia
72°0′S 136°0′E		Adélie Land, claimed by France
72°0′S 142°0′E		Eastern Australian Antarctic Territory, claimed by Australia
72°0′S 160°0′E		Ross Dependency, claimed by New Zealand
72°0′S 170°38′E	Southern Ocean	Ross Sea, south of the Pacific Ocean
72°0′S 102°15′W	Antarctica	Thurston Island, off coast Ellsworth Land, unclaimed territory
72°0′S 95°36′W	Southern Ocean	Bellingshausen Sea, south of the Pacific Ocean
72°0′S 74°21′W	Antarctica	Alexander Island and Antarctic Peninsula - claimed by Argentina, Chile and United Kingdom (overlapping claims)
72°0′S 60°5′W	Southern Ocean	Weddell Sea, south of the Atlantic Ocean
72°0′S 14°33′W	Antarctica	Queen Maud Land, claimed by Norway

See also

• 71st parallel south
• 73rd parallel south