<P> When this line of latitude was named some 2,000 years ago, the Sun was in the constellation Cancer (Latin for crab) at the June solstice, the time each year that the Sun reaches its zenith at this latitude . Due to the precession of the equinoxes, this is no longer the case; today the Sun is in Taurus at the June solstice . The word "tropic" itself comes from the Greek "trope (τροπή)", meaning turn (change of direction, or circumstances), inclination, referring to the fact that the Sun appears to "turn back" at the solstices . </P> <P> The Tropic of Cancer's position is not fixed, but varies in a complicated manner over time . Currently, it gradually drifts south almost half an arcsecond (0.468") of latitude, or 15 metres, per year (it was at exactly 23 ° 27 ′ in 1917 and will be at 23 ° 26' in 2045). See axial tilt and circles of latitude for further information . </P> <P> North of the tropic are the subtropics and the North Temperate Zone . The equivalent line of latitude south of the Equator is called the Tropic of Capricorn, and the region between the two, centered on the Equator, is the tropics . </P> <P> Starting at the prime meridian and heading eastward, the Tropic of Cancer passes through 16 countries: </P>

The region generally between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn is known as