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The 33rd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 33 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It is approximate at the midpoint between the equator (0 degrees) and the Arctic Circle (66.6 degrees North Latitude.) It crosses North Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean.
In Iraq, the parallel defined the limit of the southern no-fly zone from 4 September 1996 to 30 August 2003. (Before this time, it had been set at the 32nd parallel north) as part of Operation Southern Watch.[1]
In the United States, it approximately forms the border between Arkansas in the north and Louisiana on the south. (The border is actually a couple of kilometres north of the parallel.) The Louisiana Territory was that part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase which lay north of the 33rd parallel.
The parallel is part of the horse latitudes.
At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 20 minutes during the summer solstice and 9 hours, 58 minutes during the winter solstice.[2]
