The equatorial belt is the geographical area of our planet, which is located along the equatorial strip. It simultaneously covers areas 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 with the same high humidity indicators. Well, let’s take a closer look at all the features of this natural zone and find out in which latitudes it is located
Coordinates and geographical features of the situation
First, we’ll deal with the exact position regarding the numbers. The equatorial belt is located on both sides of the equator, from 5–8 ° s. w. up 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 climate and natural features. The peculiarity of its position lies in the fact that it does not stretch along the entire equatorial strip. It is intermittent and breaks up into a number of isolated areas confined to continents (Africa and South America) and clusters of islands in the ocean (Malay archipelago, Sri Lanka, etc.).
The belt covers the land area adjacent to zero latitude in the West of South America, as well as the coastal territories of the Pacific Ocean. The next spot is the Gulf of Guinea and the central part of West Africa. The widest and longest strip of the equatorial climate is in the Indian Ocean. It captures both the water area and the islands that are there.
Equatorial belt weather characteristic
The main feature of this natural zone is the predominance of equatorial air masses here. It is they who form a zone of stable temperatures over the region that 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 number of clouds that form over the region on a given day. It is also worth noting that the temperature in the equatorial zone largely depends on how far a particular geographical point is from the ocean. The deeper the continent, the hotter. The coastal areas are more saturated with moisture, because there is more precipitation, and the air does not heat up too much.
Precipitation and humidity
The equatorial belt is a zone of a 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 equatorial latitudes there is also a very high evaporation, which slightly “corrects” this whole picture. Thanks to her, the region does not drown in rains, which happen here very often. Precipitation itself falls in the form of heavy showers with thunderstorms and lightning, and almost every day. After such bad weather, which lasts for several hours (mainly at noon), the sun comes out, moisture evaporates, the earth dries up, and a “typical summer” is restored.
Sun movement
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 throughout the year, but in fact this is not so. On average, the sun stands above the equatorial earth 12 hours a day. Moreover, its degree relative to the planet is 90. These data are characteristic only for a narrow strip, which the equator itself crosses. 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 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 equatorial climate zone is a zone of great humidity, incredibly lush flora has formed here from time immemorial, in which no less diverse fauna lives. Here are those plants that are nowhere else to be found on the planet. These are evergreens, impenetrable jungle. They are formed by oil palm, ficus, kausukonosy, date and coffee bushes. There are also various forks of ferns, a lot of vines and ebony trees. Local animals are divided into two types: those that live on trees, and the land class. The first include numerous monkeys, in most cases it is a chimpanzee. There are also representatives of the cat family - leopards, cheetahs, jaguars. In the equatorial forests there are many sloths that live on trees. There are tapirs, rhinos, hippos.
Interaction with the tropics
Now let us briefly consider the natural zones that surround the equatorial climate zone. The tropical belt, if you do not take into account the transitional sub-equatorial latitude, has a lot in common and a lot of differences with the equator. Firstly, this is a zone of dynamic maximum. There is a minimum of precipitation - not more than 500 mm. Also, slight temperature fluctuations are observed here - up to 3 degrees during the change of seasons. A feature of this zone is that the flora and fauna here is rich only off the coast. All areas that are located far from the ocean are dry and covered with impassable deserts.
Conclusion
The equatorial belt is the hottest and most unique section of our planet. It occupies an extremely small part of the territory, but at the same time accommodates many rare species of animals and plants. This is the wettest corner of the Earth, where it rains every day, and every day all its traces are dried by the hot Sun.