The meridian 96° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole. The 96th meridian west forms a great circle with the 84th meridian east. Within the United States, the 96th meridian is often viewed as the eastern boundary of the Great Plains and of a region between the 96th and 100th meridians across which the climate changes significantly, with arid deserts to the west and wetter temperate climates to the east.

From Pole to Pole

Starting at the North Pole and heading south to the South Pole, the 96th meridian west passes through: ! scope="col" width="120" | Co-ordinates ! scope="col" | Country, territory or sea ! scope="col" | Notes ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Arctic Ocean ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Massey Sound ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Hendriksen Strait ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Belcher Channel ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Queens Channel ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Parry Channel ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Peel Sound ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | James Ross Strait ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Wellington Strait ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Rae Strait ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Simpson Strait ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Chantrey Inlet ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Chantrey Inlet ! scope="row" | 🇨🇦 ! scope="row" | 🇺🇸 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Gulf of Mexico ! scope="row" | 🇲🇽 ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Pacific Ocean ! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean ! scope="row" | Antarctica