The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immeiately north and south of the tropic zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitude 23.5 ° north and south. The term 'subtropical' describes the climatic region found adjacent to the tropics, usually between 20 and 35 degrees latitude in both hemispheres, but occasionally found at slightly higher latitudes.