60th parallel north

The 60th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 60 degrees north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Although it lies approximately twice as far away from the Equator as from the North Pole, the 60th parallel is half as long as the Equator line, due to the cosine of 60 degrees being 0.5. This is where the Earth bulges halfway as much as on the Equator.

At this latitude, the Sun is visible for 18 hours, 52 minutes during the June solstice and 5 hours, 52 minutes during the December solstice. The maximum altitude of the Sun is 53.44° on 21 June and 6.56° on 21 December. The maximum altitude of the Sun is > 15.00º in October and > 8.00º in November.

The lowest latitude where white nights can be observed is approximately on this parallel.

During the summer solstice, nighttime does not get beyond nautical twilight, a condition which lasts throughout the month of June. It is possible to view both astronomical dawn and dusk every day between August 22 and April 21.

Around the world
Malachy Tallack wrote a book, Sixty Degrees North: Around the World in Search of Home, about his travels along the general line of the parallel, starting and finishing at Shetland.

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 60° north passes through:


 * {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

! scope="col" width="125" | Co-ordinates ! scope="col" | Country, territory or ocean ! scope="col" | Notes ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇳🇴 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇳🇴 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇳🇴 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇳🇴 ! scope="row" | 🇸🇪 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇫🇮 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇫🇮 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇫🇮 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Pacific Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Pacific Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Pacific Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Pacific Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇺🇸 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Pacific Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇺🇸 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Pacific Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇺🇸 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Pacific Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇺🇸 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Pacific Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇺🇸 ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Arctic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Arctic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇬🇱 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" | ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, °W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, °W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | North Sea
 * 60°N, 5.05°W
 * 60°N, 5.05°W
 * Islands of Stolmen and Selbjørn, Hordaland
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 5.2°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 5.2°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Bekkjarviksundet, Selbjørnsfjorden, North Sea
 * 60°N, 5.25°W
 * 60°N, 5.25°W
 * Island of Huftarøy, Hordaland
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 5.28333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 5.28333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Langenuen, North Sea
 * 60°N, 5.36667°W
 * 60°N, 5.36667°W
 * Islands of Reksteren, Tysnesøy and the mainland Hordaland
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 5.86667°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 5.86667°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Hardangerfjorden, North Sea
 * 60°N, 5.98333°W
 * 60°N, 5.98333°W
 * Mainland: Folgefonna glacier, Telemark, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo, Hedmark, Østfold Passing just north of the capital Oslo
 * 60°N, 12.38333°W
 * 60°N, 12.38333°W
 * Passing through Fagersta Passing just north of Uppsala
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 18.88333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 18.88333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Baltic Sea
 * 60°N, 20.13333°W
 * 60°N, 20.13333°W
 * Högskär, Bäckö and several smaller islands, 🇦🇽
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 20.96667°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 20.96667°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Baltic Sea
 * 60°N, 23.5°W
 * 60°N, 23.5°W
 * Passing through Ekenäs
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 23.96667°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 23.96667°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Baltic Sea
 * 60°N, 24.43333°W
 * 60°N, 24.43333°W
 * Porkkala peninsula
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 24.5°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 24.5°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Baltic Sea, Gulf of Finland Passing just south of Helsinki, 🇫🇮 and the island of Gogland, 🇷🇺
 * 60°N, 27.8°W
 * 60°N, 27.8°W
 * Moshchny Island
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 27.9°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 27.9°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea
 * 60°N, 29.73333°W
 * 60°N, 29.73333°W
 * Island of Kotlin (city of Kronstadt)
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 29.78333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 29.78333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea
 * 60°N, 30.08333°W
 * 60°N, 30.08333°W
 * Passing through Saint Petersburg, Lake Ladoga
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 154.5°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 154.5°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Shelikhov Gulf, Sea of Okhotsk
 * 60°N, 161.46667°W
 * 60°N, 161.46667°W
 * Kamchatka Peninsula
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 165.23333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 165.23333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Bering Sea
 * 60°N, 166.16667°W
 * 60°N, 166.16667°W
 * Pylgin Range
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 166.55°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 166.55°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Olyutor Gulf, Bering Sea
 * 60°N, 170.15°W
 * 60°N, 170.15°W
 * Olyutor Peninsula
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 170.43333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, 170.43333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Bering Sea
 * 60°N, -167.13333°W
 * 60°N, -167.13333°W
 * Alaska - Nunivak Island
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -165.65°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -165.65°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Etolin Strait, Bering Sea
 * 60°N, -164.15°W
 * 60°N, -164.15°W
 * Alaska
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -152.63333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -152.63333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Cook Inlet, Gulf of Alaska
 * 60°N, -151.73333°W
 * 60°N, -151.73333°W
 * Alaska - Kenai Peninsula, Evans Island, Elrington Island, Latouche Island and Montague Island
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -147.4°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -147.4°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Gulf of Alaska
 * 60°N, -144.4°W
 * 60°N, -144.4°W
 * Alaska - Wingham Island, Kayak Island and a small section of mainland
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -143.83333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -143.83333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Gulf of Alaska
 * 60°N, -141.88333°W
 * 60°N, -141.88333°W
 * Alaska
 * 60°N, -139.05°W
 * 60°N, -139.05°W
 * Yukon / British Columbia border Northwest Territories / British Columbia border Northwest Territories / Alberta border - passes through Wood Buffalo National Park and beside Fort Smith, NT Northwest Territories / Saskatchewan border Nunavut / Manitoba border
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -94.81667°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -94.81667°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Hudson Bay Passing just north of the Ottawa Islands, Nunavut, 🇨🇦
 * 60°N, -77.28333°W
 * 60°N, -77.28333°W
 * Quebec Passing just south of Puvirnituq, Quebec
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -69.76667°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -69.76667°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Ungava Bay Passing just south of Kangirsuk, Quebec, 🇨🇦
 * -valign="top"
 * 60°N, -65.11667°W
 * Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -64.15°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -64.15°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Border between the Davis Strait (to the north) and the Labrador Sea (to the south)
 * 60°N, -44.86667°W
 * 60°N, -44.86667°W
 * Passing just south of Narsaq
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -43.15°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -43.15°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
 * 60°N, -1.35°W
 * 60°N, -1.35°W
 * Islands of Mainland and Mousa, Shetland Islands,
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -1.18333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | 60°N, -1.18333°W
 * style="background:#b0e0e6;" | North Sea
 * }

Notable cities and towns on 60°N

 * Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
 * Bergen, Vestland, Norway
 * Oslo, Norway
 * Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
 * Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
 * Saint Petersburg, Russia

Canada
In Canada, the 60th parallel forms the southern mainland boundary of the northern territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut with the western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Accordingly, "north of 60" is an expression often used for the territories, although parts of Nunavut (the islands in Hudson Bay and James Bay) are located south of the 60th parallel, and parts of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador are located north, to the east of Hudson Bay. A 1990s TV show on CBC about life in the Northwest Territories was called North of 60.

The 60th Parallel Territorial Park is on Mackenzie Highway between Alberta and Northwest Territories and it has a visitor centre there in the homeland of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the North Slave Métis Alliance.

Canada's only four corners are located at the intersection of the 60th parallel and the 102nd meridian west, between the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Greenland
Between 1776 and 1950, the 60th parallel formed the southern limit of the Royal Greenland Trade Department's exclusive monopoly on trade near the Dano-Norwegian and later Danish colonies of Greenland (1776–1782) and South Greenland (1782–1950).