Tropics

• Tropical climate of the Earth

The tropics (from the Greek: τρόποι Ἥλιου tropoi Hēliou " solstice Areas" ) belong to the climates of the earth.

Location and boundaries

The tropics are:

• Radiation climatically considered the areas defined by the two tropics (23 ° 27 ' north and south latitude ) are limited and where the sun at least once a year is at its zenith,
• In the system of atmospheric circulation, the area between the two subtropical - tropical high-pressure belts edge of the northern and southern hemispheres of the earth,
• The area of ​​both sides of the equator, which is characterized by higher daytime and lower seasonal temperature (25 ° C annual average ), since this can not form a thermal seasons by the year-round high irradiation,
• The area where the annual day lengths vary only slightly from 10.5 to 13.5 hours.

As poleward boundary of the tropics to the subtropics used Köppen 18 - ° C isotherm, Supan and Phlippson the 20 - ° C isotherm of the coldest month. However, these definitions refer only to the fantastic low altitude above the sea warm tropics, but the typical climate of the tropics properties also apply to the higher areas. Because of the decrease in temperature with height is called when the 18 - or 20 - ° C isotherm are below, but computationally would result in a higher value of cold tropics.

As Ektropen those areas are referred to that are not in the tropics.

Vegetation zones of the tropics

Within the tropics there are different vegetation zones. These depend on the time in which the plants water is sufficient for growth. A distinction is made on the number of arid and humid months:

Within the tropics, the equatorial always be moist to the tropics of the wet-dry out or discriminated dry tropics, which manifest themselves in different ecological zones of the tropical forests of the various types of savannah to the tropical semi-deserts and deserts.

In the humid tropics, located throughout with the exception of East Africa and the Andes to the equator, where tropical rainforests form. Typical of the humid tropics, where the dry and rainy seasons are the seasons, savannas, dry forests and monsoon forests that line the tropical rain forests, but also the wetlands of the Pantanal in South America is located in this zone. The dry tropics are desert and semi- desert areas, which have been preheated consistently throughout the year.

The land use in the tropics is very different depending on the prevailing vegetation zone. As in the tropical areas of the largest population growth of the Earth is observed, it plays an important role.

The tropics as a topos

The tropics are more than one climatic category, they are also a cultural destination. Modern artists have been dealing for more than 100 years with the interpretation of the tropics.