The 72nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 72 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane, in the Arctic. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia, the Arctic Ocean and North America. At this latitude, the sun is visible for 24 hours, 0 minutes during the summer solstice and Civil Twilight during the winter solstice. This is the parallel where twilight/nighttime boundary on the equinoxes. This is also the highest parallel that golden hour occurs even at midnight sun, because the Sun is less than 6°00'00" above the horizon. Midnight Sun without golden hour occurs at latitudes greater than 72°33'38.58804", i.e., about 666.8 km (414.3 mi) north of the Arctic Circle in the case of the June Solstice.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 72° north passes through: ! scope="col" width="130" | Coordinates ! scope="col" | Country, territory or sea ! scope="col" | Notes ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Barents Sea ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Kara Sea ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Gulf of Ob ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Yenisei Gulf ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Laptev Sea ! scope="row" | 🇷🇺 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | East Siberian Sea ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Arctic Ocean ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Beaufort Sea ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Prince of Wales Strait ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Hadley Bay ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | M'Clintock Channel ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Peel Sound ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Bellot Strait ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Prince Regent Inlet ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Admiralty Inlet ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Baffin Bay ! scope="row" | 🇬🇱 ! scope="row" | 🇬🇱 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Atlantic Ocean