Subtropics
From Free net encyclopedia
The subtropics (also semitropics) refers to regions of the Earth immediately north and south of the two tropic regions, which are bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitude 23.5 ° north and south. The subtropics are therefore the next higher latitudinal regions above the tropics.
The term can be used loosely to mean a range of latitudes between 23.5 and approximately 35 degrees. A subtropical climate implies that the air temperature usually does not go below freezing (0°C). This is a threshold temperature for a gamut of plants, and applies to coastal California, southern Florida, coastal Australia, and coastal South Africa, for example. The poleward limit of such climates is higher on the west coasts of the northern continents and lower on the east coasts, because occasional Winter cold snaps reach farther south in the east. Some subtropical cities include New Delhi, Athens, Mexico City, and Sydney.
At latitudes higher and lower than subtropical, the climate is called temperate, with annual mean temperatures less than 20°C and the warmest month averages over 10°C. (E. Linacre 12/98)