During the summer, the sun hits the Tropic of Cancer, and during the winter, the sun hits the Tropic of Capricorn. The equator surrounds the widest part of the Earth. It is at the zero line of latitude, and goes through all the different points of longitude. The equator does not give off heat. The sun heats it.
Some people think it gives off heat because it is extremely hot there.
No, it just that most of the sun's rays hit the equator more than the poles. It is colder near the poles because the sun's rays usually miss them. See a picture . Return to the Earth Science Main Menu . Return to the Ward Wide Web .