what is Capricorn?
Series Producer Sam Bagnall explains. Prog 1: Namibia and Botswana Sunday 10 February, 2008 2000 GMT on BBC Two In pictures From distant memories of geography lessons at school, most people are vaguely aware that the Tropic of Capricorn is one of two lines around the earth, quite near the Equator. For the record, Capricorn is the southern one, whereas the Tropic of Cancer lies to the north. Capricorn cuts through South America, Southern Africa and Australia, as well as thousands of miles of empty ocean. But what is it? The answer to that question is not as straightforward as you might think. When our team filmed their journey around the Equator in 2006, it was relatively simple – zero degrees latitude, the centre of the world, the border between the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern. Shifting location Capricorn is a little more tricky. The best and pithiest definition appears to be that the Tropic of Capricorn is the point furthest south where the sun can be seen overhead. This occu
