When this is about the capital cities that are farthest from the equator, one could think about the north side and the south side of the globe. But it turns out that this is only about the capitals in the north.
The top 10 capital cities that are farthest from equator are all on the northern hemisphere, and they are all in Europe. Here they are, ordered by the latitude:
- Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.
- Helsinki, the capital of Finland.
- Oslo, the capital of Norway.
- Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.
- Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.
- Riga, the capital of Latvia.
- Edinburg, the capital of Scotland.
- Moscow, the capital of Russia.
- Kopenhagen, the capital of Denmark.
- Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
The position of these cities is presented in the interactive map below. It is zoomable so you can see details, just try it.
Reykjavik
With the latitude 64°08′48″N, this is also the northernmost capital in the world, and at the same time this is the coldest capital city in Europe by the yearly mean temperature.
It is interesting also that this is the Europe’s most westerly capital.
Helsinki
This capital of Finland is with the latitude of 60°10′15″N, so it is considerably closer to equator than the champion Reykjavik, but it is still on the second place.
This city is also the third coldest capital in Europe by yearly mean temperature.
Oslo
This capital of Norway is at the latitude of 59°54′48″ N. The city was established in 11th century by Vikings. Lots of details are available on Wikipedia and also on this official travel site.
Tallinn
Perhaps not many people would be able to find Tallinn on the map. So this is in Estonia, of the three small Baltic states. Its latitude is 59°26′14″N.
It was declared as city in 1248, but there are evidences that the area was populated 5000 years ago.
Stockholm
Did you know that they describe this capital of Sweden as Venice of the north? Anyway, its latitude is 59°19′46″N. As you realize it almost at the same parallel as Tallinn.
Riga
This is a small capital of a small country Latvia in Europe. The latitude of Riga is 56°56′56″N. One third of the country’s population lives in this city. So although it is small, it appears to be too big for its country.
Edinburgh
The capital of Scotland is at the latitude of 55°57′12″N. which is almost 8 degrees closer to the equator than Reykjavik. This city has been the capital of Scotland since 15th century. It is the second most visited city in UK.
Moscow
The capital of Russia is at the latitude of 55°45′21″N. This is also the second coldest city in Europe by mean yearly temperature, but it is the coldest by winter temperature.
Kopenhagen
This capital of Denmark is at the latitude of 55° 40′ N. As you see this is very close to the parallel of Moscow, but Kopenhagen is a seaside city and this affects its climate a lot.
Vilnius
This is the capital of the third Baltic state Lithuania. Its latitude is 54°41′14″N. In 1994 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was first mentioned in written sources as Vilna in 1323.
So this was the list of the capitals that are farthest from the equator. As you realize they are all European capitals. But how about other continents? Well, Otava in Canada is at 45°25′29″N so this is far from the top ten.
Is there anything in the south? Well, yes there is, but the southernmost national capital Wellington of New Zealand is at 41°17′20″ south. This is far closer to equator than any of the cities listed above.
You might want to know also which capital city is closest to the equator, so follow the link to see the list.
Thank you for reading. Let me know if you have a question related to capitals that you would love to have answered here in the site. There is a comment box below. Have a nice day.