51st parallel north

The 51st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 51 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 16 hours, 33 minutes during the summer solstice and 7 hours, 55 minutes during the winter solstice.

Capital cities between the 51st and 52nd parallels are London and Astana.

Around the world
Starting at the Prime Meridian (just north of the Sheffield Park Garden in East Sussex, England) and heading eastwards, the parallel 51° north passes through:


 * {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

! scope="col" width="125" | Co-ordinates ! scope="col" | Country, territory or sea ! scope="col" | Notes ! scope="row" | ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Strait of Dover ! scope="row" | 🇫🇷 ! scope="row" | 🇧🇪 ! scope="row" | 🇳🇱 ! scope="row" | 🇩🇪 ! scope="row" | 🇨🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇩🇪 ! scope="row" | 🇵🇱 ! scope="row" | 🇨🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇵🇱 ! scope="row" | 🇨🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇵🇱 ! scope="row" | 🇺🇦 ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" | 🇰🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" | 🇰🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" | 🇰🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" | 🇰🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" | 🇰🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" | 🇰🇿 Akmola Region — passing just south of Derzhavinsk
 * 51°N, °W
 * 51°N, °W
 * England: East Sussex, Kent (just south of Dover)
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, 1.5°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, 1.5°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Crosses the Channel Tunnel
 * -valign="top"
 * 51°N, 2°W
 * Nord-Pas-de-Calais — passing just south of Dunkirk and the northernmost point of France
 * 51°N, 2.56667°W
 * 51°N, 2.56667°W
 * Passing all 5 provinces of Flanders
 * 51°N, 5.76667°W
 * 51°N, 5.76667°W
 * Limburg — for about 10 km — passing through Sittard
 * -valign="top"
 * 51°N, 5.9°W
 * North Rhine-Westphalia — passing through northern Cologne Hesse Thuringia — passing through Erfurt Saxony-Anhalt Thuringia Saxony — passing just south of Dresden
 * 51°N, 14.25°W
 * 51°N, 14.25°W
 * 51°N, 14.56667°W
 * 51°N, 14.56667°W
 * 51°N, 14.56667°W
 * Saxony
 * 51°N, 14.91667°W
 * 51°N, 14.91667°W
 * For about 4 km
 * 51°N, 14.96667°W
 * 51°N, 14.96667°W
 * 51°N, 15.1°W
 * 51°N, 15.1°W
 * 51°N, 15.1°W
 * For about 3 km
 * 51°N, 15.13333°W
 * 51°N, 15.13333°W
 * For about 3 km
 * 51°N, 15.16667°W
 * 51°N, 15.16667°W
 * Passing just south of Wrocław
 * 51°N, 23.95°W
 * 51°N, 23.95°W
 * Volyn oblast — passing just north of Lutsk Rivne Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast — passing just north of Korosten Kyiv Oblast — passing through Kiev Reservoir Chernihiv Oblast — passing just south of Nizhyn Sumy Oblast — passing just north of Sumy
 * 51°N, 35.33333°W
 * 51°N, 35.33333°W
 * 51°N, 49.31667°W
 * 51°N, 49.31667°W
 * 51°N, 49.31667°W
 * West Kazakhstan Region — passing just south of Oral, Kazakhstan
 * 51°N, 54.18333°W
 * 51°N, 54.18333°W
 * For about 25 km (15.5 mi)
 * 51°N, 54.55°W
 * 51°N, 54.55°W
 * For about 14 km
 * 51°N, 54.76667°W
 * 51°N, 54.76667°W
 * For about 118 km
 * 51°N, 56.45°W
 * 51°N, 56.45°W
 * For about 11 km (6.8 mi)
 * 51°N, 56.6°W
 * 51°N, 56.6°W
 * For about 9 km (5.5 mi)
 * 51°N, 56.73333°W
 * 51°N, 56.73333°W
 * For about 39 km (24 mi)
 * 51°N, 57.3°W
 * 51°N, 57.3°W
 * For about 32 km (19.8 mi)
 * 51°N, 57.75°W
 * 51°N, 57.75°W
 * For about 61 km (37 mi)
 * 51°N, 58.61667°W
 * 51°N, 58.61667°W
 * For about 199 km (123 mi)
 * 51°N, 61.5°W
 * 51°N, 61.5°W
 * Kostanay Region

Passing just south of Astana

Karaganda Region

East Kazakhstan Region ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" | 🇰🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" | 🇰🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 !🇰🇿 ! scope="row" | 🇲🇳 ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" | ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Strait of Tartary ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Sea of Okhotsk ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Pacific Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Gulf of Saint Lawrence ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" |
 * 51°N, 79.88333°W
 * 51°N, 79.88333°W
 * For about 42 km (26 mi)
 * 51°N, 80.48333°W
 * 51°N, 80.48333°W
 * For about 42 km
 * 51°N, 81.06667°W
 * 51°N, 81.06667°W
 * For about 143 km
 * 51°N, 83.1°W
 * 51°N, 83.1°W
 * For about 5 km
 * 51°N, 83.18333°W
 * 51°N, 83.18333°W
 * 51°N, 83.18333°W
 * For about 2 km (1.2 mi)
 * 51°N, 83.2°W
 * 51°N, 83.2°W
 * 51°N, 83.2°W
 * For about 15 km (9.3 mi)
 * 51°N, 97.83333°W
 * 51°N, 97.83333°W
 * 51°N, 97.83333°W
 * Passing Lake Khövsgöl
 * 51°N, 102.25°W
 * 51°N, 102.25°W
 * 51°N, 102.25°W
 * -valign="top"
 * 51°N, 119.61667°W
 * 51°N, 119.61667°W
 * Inner Mongolia Heilongjiang
 * 51°N, 127°W
 * 51°N, 127°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, 140.63333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, 140.63333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, 140.63333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
 * 51°N, 142.23333°W
 * 51°N, 142.23333°W
 * Island of Sakhalin
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, 143.6°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, 143.6°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
 * 51°N, 156.76667°W
 * 51°N, 156.76667°W
 * Kamchatka Peninsula
 * -valign="top"
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, 156.85°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Passing just south of Amatignak Island, Alaska, 🇺🇸 Passing just north of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 🇨🇦
 * -valign="top"
 * 51°N, -127.51667°W
 * British Columbia — passing through city of Revelstoke Alberta — passing through city of Calgary Saskatchewan Manitoba - passing just south of the city of Dauphin Ontario - passing just south of the town of Red Lake Passing just south of the tip of James Bay (51.16667°N, -79.83333°W) Quebec
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, -58.8°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, -58.8°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
 * 51°N, -57.05°W
 * 51°N, -57.05°W
 * Newfoundland and Labrador — island of Newfoundland
 * -valign="top"
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 51°N, -55.83333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Passing just north of Groais Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, 🇨🇦
 * 51°N, -4.53333°W
 * 51°N, -4.53333°W
 * England — Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire (passing just north of Southampton), West Sussex, East Sussex
 * }
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Russian America 1799–1824/25
In 1799 Paul I, Tsar of the Russian Empire, issued a ukase creating the Russian-American Company (RAC). It was granted monopolistic control north of the 55th parallel north, which had been the Russian claim since 1790, as well as the right to operate and occupy territory to the south as long as the lands had not been previously occupied, or dependent on any other nation. In 1821 the RAC's charter was renewed and at the same time an ukase proclaimed that Russian sovereignty extended south to the 51st parallel, and that waters north of that line were closed to foreign shipping. The ukase was met with strong objections by the United States and Great Britain. Subsequent negotiations resulted in a clear and permanent boundary for Russian America, the southward terminus of which was established at 54°40′ north.