17th Parallel

(noun)

The provisional military demarcation line between North and South Vietnam established by the Geneva Accords of 1954. The demarcation line ran approximately along the Ben Hai River in Quang Tri Province to the village of Bo Ho Su and from there due west to the Laos-Vietnam border.

Related Terms

Examples of 17th Parallel in the following topics:

  • Indochina: The Background to War

    • Nationalist Chinese troops entered the country to disarm Imperial Japanese troops north of the 16th parallel on September 14, 1945. 
    • At the International Geneva Conference on July 21, 1954, the new socialist French government and the Viet Minh made an agreement that was denounced by the government of Vietnam and by the United States, but which effectively gave the Communists control of North Vietnam above the 17th parallel.

  • Surrender at Yorktown

    • Soon after, the allies built their first parallel (earthworks to support a siege) and began the bombardment of British forces.
    • Following these successes, the allies were able to complete their second parallel.
    • With the American artillery closing in, the British situation began to deteriorate rapidly, and Cornwallis asked for terms of capitulation on the 17th.

  • Maryland

    • The original charter granted the Calverts an imprecisely defined territory north of Virginia and south of the 40th parallel, comprising perhaps as much as 12 million acres.
    • In the 17th century, most British settler-invaders in Maryland lived in rough conditions on small family farms.

  • Witchcraft in New England

    • New England in the 17th century saw a number of accusations and trials of witchcraft.
    • In 17th-century colonial North America, the supernatural was part of everyday life, and there was a strong belief that Satan was present and active on Earth.
    • In the mid 17th century, approximately 80 New England colonists were accused of witchcraft.

  • Settling the Southern Colonies

    • The Southern Colonies, including Maryland, the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia were established during the 16th and 17th centuries.
    • The Southern Colonies in North America were established by the British during the 16th and 17th centuries.
    • The colonies were originally chartered to compete in the race for colonies in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries.

  • The Armistice

    • That conflict, which claimed over three million lives and divided the Korean Peninsula along ideological lines, commenced on 25 June 1950, with a full-front DPRK invasion across the 38th parallel, and ended in 1953 after international intervention pushed the front of the war back to near the 38th parallel.
    • A rapid U.N. counter-offensive then drove the North Koreans past the 38th Parallel and almost to the Yalu River, when China entered the war on the side of North Korea.
    • Chinese intervention forced the Southern-allied forces to retreat behind the 38th Parallel.
    • The changes in territory stopped there, with both sides in their original positions near the 38th Parallel.
    • The agreement restored the border between the Koreas near the 38th Parallel.

  • Conclusion: Growth and Development of the Colonies

    • The 17th and 18th centuries saw the unprecedented expansion of English power in North America, changing the landscape of the New World forever.
    • At the start of the 17th century, the English had not established a permanent settlement in the Americas.
    • Other transatlantic travelers, including diseases, goods, plants, animals, and even ideas like the concept of private land ownership, further influenced life in America during the 16th and 17th centuries.
    • During the 17th century, many American Indians tribes grew increasingly dependent on European trade items; at the same time, death from the introduction of European diseases was widespread and devastated their populations.
    • Summarize how the colonies developed over the 17th and 18th centuries

  • The Conquest of New York

    • This map shows the changing boundaries of the colony of New York from the 17th to 18th centuries.
    • Summarize the movement of New York from Dutch to British hands in the mid-17th century and the distinguishing feature of the colony

  • China and the Bomb

    • The 38th parallel increasingly became a political border between the two Korean states.
    • Then, a rapid U.N. counter-offensive drove the North Koreans past the 38th Parallel and almost to the Yalu River.
    • Chinese intervention forced the primarily American forces to once again retreat in bitter fighting behind the 38th Parallel.
    • Ridgway, they eventually stopped the overextended Chinese, and slowly fought their way back to the 38th parallel.
    • South Korean and UN troops withdraw behind the 38th parallel in the Korean War.

  • The Military Implementation of Containment

    • On June 25, 1950 a large military force moved across the 38th parallel in the Republic of Korea.
    • General Douglas MacArthur then advanced across the 38th parallel into North Korea.
    • The Chinese then sent in a large army and defeated the U.N. forces, pushing them below the 38th parallel.
    • Although the Chinese had been planning to intervene for months, this action was interpreted by Truman's supporters as a response to U.S. forces crossing the 38th parallel.
    • The agreement restored the border between the Koreas near the 38th Parallel and created the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a 2.5-mile-wide fortified buffer zone between the two Korean nations.