Stop 1 · Spain
Madrid
At about 650m above sea level, Madrid stands higher than any other major European capital — and sits almost exactly on the 40th parallel.
Cities on the 40th parallel north
All five stops sit within one degree of latitude 40°N — a line that threads Iberia, the Mediterranean, Anatolia, China and the US East Coast.
The five stops
Stop 2 · Italy
Naples
Vesuvius, which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD, still looms over the bay — the only active volcano on mainland Europe.
Stop 3 · Türkiye
Ankara
Atatürk moved the capital from Istanbul to Ankara in 1923 to anchor the new republic in Anatolia's heartland.
Stop 4 · China
Beijing
The Forbidden City was the imperial palace for 24 emperors across the Ming and Qing dynasties — off-limits to the public until 1925.
Stop 5 · United States
Philadelphia
Independence Hall hosted the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Philadelphia was the US capital until Washington DC was ready in 1800.
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