Locations of footpoints of transequatorial interconnecting loops

We discuss footpoints of loops seen by Yohkoh in soft X-rays that connect a ctive regions across the equator (transequatorial interconnecting loops - T ILs). While most TILs are rooted in moderately strong fields at peripheries of active regions, there are also cases when these loops are anchored in v ery weak or very strong fields, ranging from < 30 G to several hundred gaus s. Some have their footpoints near sunspot penumbrae, creating 'X-ray fount ains' in a combination with active region loops. But TILs are never rooted in sunspots. The most likely explanation is that magnetic field lines leave spots almost vertically so that TILs rooted in them extend high into the c orona and density in them is below the limit of visibility in X-rays. The f act that in force-free modeling some TILs are rooted in sunspots is most pr obably due to the difference between field-line connections in 'vacuum' and in the highly conductive plasma on the Sun. Some TILs end before they reac h active regions which sometimes may indicate the real situation, but mostl y this 'gap' is probably due to a temperature decrease near the loop footpo ints which makes them invisible in X-rays. In that case the fact that these cool lowest parts of TILs are never found in TRACE or SOHO EIT images indi cates that plasma density in TILs must be very low. Still, the total absenc e of any counterparts of X-ray TILs in TRACE and EIT images is puzzling and , therefore, other possible interpretations of the 'gap' origin are also br iefly mentioned.