The 38th parallel is significant in which region?

The 38th parallel is significant in which region?

• A. The Middle East
• B. Kashmir
• C. The Korean Peninsula
• D. Western Sahara

Answer: (C)

A line of latitude that becomes a political boundary can shape a region’s history. The 38th parallel north is the east–west line that cuts across the Korean Peninsula. After Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II, Korea was divided along that latitude into Soviet-occupied territory to the north and American-occupied territory to the south. That division laid the groundwork for two separate countries and the Korean War that followed. In 1953, an armistice created the Korean Demilitarized Zone, which sits near that latitude, making the 38th parallel a historic reference point for the boundary between North Korea and South Korea. The other regions listed are not defined by this latitude.

A line of latitude that becomes a political boundary can shape a region’s history. The 38th parallel north is the east–west line that cuts across the Korean Peninsula. After Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II, Korea was divided along that latitude into Soviet-occupied territory to the north and American-occupied territory to the south. That division laid the groundwork for two separate countries and the Korean War that followed. In 1953, an armistice created the Korean Demilitarized Zone, which sits near that latitude, making the 38th parallel a historic reference point for the boundary between North Korea and South Korea. The other regions listed are not defined by this latitude.