The Equator is the line at 0 degrees latitude encircling Earth. It divides the planet into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
The Equator is an imaginary geodesic line whose plane passes through Earth’s centre and is perpendicular to the planet’s axis of rotation. It is about 40,075 kilometres long, although its precise length depends on how Earth’s irregular shape is measured.
Locations near the Equator generally experience little seasonal change in day length. The Sun can appear directly overhead at noon twice a year in places along the line, around the equinoxes, although the exact dates vary slightly by location.
The Equator crosses land in South America, Africa, and Indonesia, as well as several waters. It does not pass through Ecuador’s capital, Quito, though the country is named for the line. The Prime Meridian, by contrast, is the reference line for longitude and runs through Greenwich, England.