A unique and very hot equatorial belt. Its features and characteristics

Equatorial belt - the geographical area of ​​ourplanet, which is located along the equatorial band. It covers both the Northern and Southern hemisphere regions simultaneously, and the climatic conditions in both parts of the world are the same. The climatic belt equatorial is considered to be the hottest on Earth, but at the same time there high temperatures are combined with the same high humidity values. Well, let's consider in more detail all the features of this natural zone and figure out which latitudes it is located in

Coordinates and geographical features of the situation

First, we will understand the exact positionconcerning figures. The equatorial belt is located on both sides of the equator, from 5-8 ° N. w. up to 4-11 ° S. is limited by subequatorial belts. That is, it is surrounded by the bands of the subequatorial zone, which are very similar in their climate and natural features. The peculiarity of its position lies in the fact that it does not extend along the entire equatorial band. It is intermittent and disintegrates into a series of isolated regions confined to the continents (Africa and South America) and island congestions in the ocean (Malay Archipelago, Sri Lanka, etc.).

Belt covers adjacent to zero latitudea land plot in the West of South America, as well as the coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean. The next spot is the Guinea Bay and the central part of West Africa. The widest and longest stretch of the equatorial climate is in the Indian Ocean. It captures both the water area and the islands that are there.

Weather characteristic of the equatorial belt

The main feature of this natural area isthe predominance of equatorial air masses. They form above the region a zone of stable temperatures that do not change during the whole year. The indicators of the thermometer in the shadow range from 25 to 30 above zero, and this difference is an uncharacteristic feature of the seasonal change in the temperature regime. Everything depends on the solar activity and the number of clouds that form over the region on this or that day. It is also worth noting that the temperature in the equatorial belt largely depends on how far the specific geographic point is removed from the ocean. The deeper into the continent, the hotter. The coastal areas are more filled with moisture, because there are often precipitations, and the air is not heated too much.

Precipitation and humidity

The equatorial belt is a zone of dynamicminimum. The pressure here is extremely low, therefore the amount of precipitation that falls on the region is the maximum. In a year here falls from 7 to 10 thousand millimeters of precipitation. It should be noted that in the equatorial latitudes there is also very high evaporation, which slightly "corrects" the entire picture. Thanks to it, the region does not sink in the rain, which often happens here. The very same precipitation falls in the form of strong downpours with thunder and lightning, and almost every day. After such a bad weather, which lasts for several hours (mostly at noon), the sun comes out, the moisture evaporates, the earth dries up and the "typical summer" is restored.

The movement of the sun

What is more unique equatorial belt, so thisits unique dynamics of the Sun. Many believe that the length of the day does not change here for a second throughout the year, but in fact it is not. The average sun is above the equatorial earth 12 hours a day. In this case, its degree relative to the planet is 90. These data are characteristic only of a narrow strip, which is crossed by the equator itself. In the Northern Hemisphere, as in all other zones of the planet, in summer the day increases by 1-2 hours, and in winter it decreases by the same time. Summer falls here as well as here - for June-August. In the southern hemisphere, on the contrary, in these months the day is reduced by 1-2 hours, and in December-February increases.

Flora and fauna

Due to the fact that the climatic zoneequatorial is a zone of huge humidity, here from time immemorial an incredibly violent flora formed in which no less diverse fauna lives. There are those plants that can not be found anywhere else on the planet. These are evergreen thickets, impenetrable jungles. They are formed by oil palms, ficuses, kausukonosami, date and coffee bushes. There are also various forks of ferns, lots of lianas and black trees. Local animals are divided into two types: those that live on trees, and a terrestrial class. The first include numerous monkeys, in most cases it is a chimpanzee. Also there are representatives of the cat family - leopards, cheetahs, jaguars. In the equatorial forests there are many sloths who live on trees. There are tapirs, rhinoceroses, hippos.

Interaction with the Tropics

Now let us briefly consider the natural zones, whichsurround the climatic belt equatorial. The tropical belt, if we do not take into account the transitional subequatorial latitude, has as much in common as the mass of differences with the equator. First, this zone is the dynamic maximum. There falls a minimum of precipitation - no more than 500 mm. Also, there are insignificant fluctuations in temperature - up to 3 degrees during the change of seasons. The peculiarity of this zone is that the flora and fauna here are rich only on the sea coasts. All areas that are located far from the ocean are dry and covered with impassable deserts.

Conclusion

Equatorial belt - the hottest and mostunique site of our planet. It occupies an extremely small part of the territory, but at the same time it can contain many rare species of animals and plants. This is the most humid corner of the Earth, where every day it rains, and every day all its traces are dried by the hot Sun.