The 38th parallel north is a line of latitude that cuts across Asia, the Mediterranean and the United States. It has been especially important in the recent history of Korea.

Korea

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After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the parallel was established as the boundary between the Soviet (north) and American (south) occupation zones in Korea, as Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel had earlier suggested. The parallel divided the peninsula roughly in the middle. In 1948, the dividing line became the boundary between the newly independent countries of North and South Korea. At the end of the Korean War (1950-1953), a new border was established through the middle of the Demilitarized Zone, which cuts across the 38th parallel at an acute angle, from southwest to northeast.

Places crossed

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The following countries are crossed by the 38th parallel:

• - United States
• - Portugal
• - Spain
• - Tunisia — Ile de la Galite
• - Italy
• - Greece
• - Turkey
• - Iran
• - Turkmenistan
• - Tajikistan
• - Uzbekistan
• - Afghanistan
• - China (Area controlled by the People's Republic of China, but claimed by the Republic of China)
• - North Korea
• - South Korea
• - Japan — Honshu

U.S. states crossed

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• California
• Nevada
• Utah
• Colorado
• Kansas
• Missouri
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• West Virginia
• Virginia
• Maryland

See also

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• Circle of latitude
• 38th parallel structures

Lines of latitude | Geography of Korea

38. Breitengrad | 38선 | 38° parallelo | 38度線 | 38. breddegrad | 38:e breddgraden | 三八线