The equatorial belt is a geographical region of our planet, which is located along the equatorial strip. It simultaneously covers parts of the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and at the same time, the climatic conditions in both parts of the world are the same. The equatorial climate zone is considered the hottest on Earth, but at the same time, high temperatures are combined there with the same high humidity levels. Well, let's take a closer look at all the features of this natural zone and figure out what latitudes it is in
Coordinates and geographical features of the position
First, let's deal with the exact position relative to the numbers. The equatorial belt is located on both sides of the equator, from 5–8° N. sh. to 4–11°S sh., limited by subequatorial belts. That is, it is surrounded by strips of the subequatorial zone, which are very similar in their climate and natural features. The peculiarity of his position lies inthat it does not stretch along the entire equatorial strip. It is discontinuous and breaks up into a number of isolated areas confined to the continents (Africa and South America) and clusters of islands in the ocean (Malay Archipelago, Sri Lanka, etc.).
The belt covers the land adjacent to zero latitude in the West of South America, as well as coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean. The next spot is the Gulf of Guinea and the central part of West Africa. The widest and longest band of the equatorial climate is located in the Indian Ocean. It captures both the water area and the islands that are located there.
Weather characteristics of the equatorial belt
The main feature of this natural area is the predominance of equatorial air masses here. They form a zone of stable temperatures over the region, which do not change throughout the year. The thermometer in the shade ranges from 25 to 30 above zero, and this difference is an uncharacteristic feature of the seasonal change in temperature. It all depends on solar activity and the amount of clouds that form over the region on a given day. It is also worth noting that the temperature in the equatorial belt largely depends on how far a particular geographical point is from the ocean. The deeper into the continent, the hotter. Coastal areas are more filled with moisture, so precipitation occurs more often here, and the air does not heat up too much.
Precipitation and humidity
The equatorial belt is a zone of dynamic minimum. The pressure here is extremely low, because the amount of precipitation that falls on the region is maximum. From 7 to 10 thousand millimeters of precipitation falls here annually. It is worth noting that in the equatorial latitudes there is also a very high evaporation rate, which slightly “corrects” this whole picture. Thanks to her, the region does not drown in the rains that happen here very often. Precipitation itself falls in the form of heavy showers with thunderstorms and lightning, and almost every day. After such a storm that lasts for several hours (mostly at noon), the sun comes out, the moisture evaporates, the earth dries up, and "typical summer" is restored.
Movement of the sun
What else is unique about the equatorial belt is its unique dynamics of the Sun. Many believe that the length of the day here does not change even for a second during the year, but in fact this is not so. On average, the sun is above the equatorial land 12 hours a day. At the same time, its degree relative to the planet is 90. These data are characteristic only for a narrow strip that the equator itself crosses. In the Northern Hemisphere, as in all other areas of the planet, in summer the day increases by 1-2 hours, and in winter it decreases by the same time. Summer here falls like ours - in June-August. In the Southern Hemisphere, on the contrary, in these months the day is reduced by 1-2 hours, and in December-February it increases.
Flora and fauna
Due to the fact that the climatic zone is equatorial - a zone of great humidity, here from time immemorial an incredibly lush flora has formed, in which no less diverse fauna lives. Here are those plants that can not be found anywhere else on the planet. These are evergreen thickets, impenetrable jungle. They are formed by oil palms, ficuses, kausukonos, date and coffee bushes. There are also various pitchforks of ferns, a lot of lianas and black trees. Local animals are divided into two types: those that live in trees, and the class of terrestrial. The former include numerous monkeys, in most cases these are chimpanzees. There are also representatives of the cat family - leopards, cheetahs, jaguars. In the equatorial forests, there are many sloths that live in trees. There are tapirs, rhinos, hippos.
Interaction with the tropics
Now let's take a quick look at the natural zones that surround the equatorial climate zone. The tropical belt, if we do not take into account the transitional subequatorial latitude, has both much in common and a lot of differences with the equator. First, this dynamic maximum zone. There is a minimum of precipitation - no more than 500 mm. There are also minor temperature fluctuations here - up to 3 degrees during the change of seasons. A feature of this zone is that the flora and fauna here are rich only near the sea coast. All areas that are located away from the ocean are dry and covered with impenetrable deserts.
Conclusion
The equatorial belt is the hottest and most unique part of our planet. It occupies an extremely small part of the territory, but at the same time it accommodates many rare species of animals and plants. It is the wettest corner of the Earth, where every day it rains, and every day all traces of it are dried by the hot Sun.
