The term for circles on the Earth's surface that are parallel to the equator is:

• A. Meridians.
• B. Poles.
• C. Parallels of latitude.
• D. Great circles.

Answer: (C)

Circles that run around the globe parallel to the equator are called parallels of latitude. They sit east–west around the Earth and are used to specify how far north or south a location lies from the equator, with each line corresponding to a specific latitude value. As you move away from the equator toward the poles, these circles get smaller in size. They’re not meridians (which run north–south), nor are they poles (points), and while the equator is a great circle, most parallels are not. This is why the best term is parallels of latitude.